Fiji

Fiji

Leaving Tonga on 12th September, we felt good about pushing west. Had we more time we could have spent longer seeing the beauty of Tonga, experiencing their culture and benefiting from the warmth and generosity of the Tongan people. There were areas we wanted to go, the Hapai group, further south, the outer anchorages of the Vava'u, but weather and time were against us, and we needed to head west in order to get to Australia by the beginning of November and the start of the cyclone season.

This will be the story from now on. With the current schedule there is no way to fully explore Fiji and its many many outer islands. All we can hope for is to see a few islands, experience the culture and hopefully find a pleasant anchorage with fine weather and stop for a few days. We are, however, building an itinerary for next year and hopefully, if we manage to come back and skirt this route, we will have time to explore more thoroughly. That said, we are unsure of our plans and destinations for 2010, no doubt time and tide will reveal all.

We set off from Port Morrell with 2 reefs in, expecting boisterous conditions. Clearing the islands the swell settled down and we shook one out giving us excellent sailing conditions in 20kts ESE heading 260, making 9 odd Kts. The wind held overnight and we were making good progress. We had set up a radio schedule with the Vagabonds and the Blues so at 0730 each morning we could talk on the SSB, and overnight we had 15 miles clear on the Vagabonds and 25 on the Blues.

The first night offshore is usually quite hard work, getting back into the swing, so the first morning we have bacon and eggs together as a sort of treat. We all enjoy it and the eggs are just delicious with that deep yellow yolk one could expect from a place like Tonga….I guess everything is free range, even the bacon!!. First fish, 10,30, Tuna, 15.15, Mahi, lovely, 15.45 Tuna again, all weighing in at about 12-15kg. Great fishing and all dispatched to the freezer.

The wind eased to 15Kts ENE as we headed towards the Lau group and the pass between the islands. We were a little worried about sailing through the islands at night. Although the passage looked big enough at 15 miles, there were a few obstacles on the west side and the waters between Tonga and Fiji are known to have many uncharted reef and seabed disturbances. To give you an idea, we had been given a layer file for the charting software detailing 60 uncharted issues, so we were really on our toes. We also had no idea how accurate the GPS was going to be and what sort of offset we should allow. I thought that a 1 mile offset would be outrageous, so I allowed 3 miles for certainty. Even so I was straining to hear any reef break as we approached. The wind was easing all the time and by midnight it was 6-8kts NE, We were motoring to keep up to 5 kts with a full main up as we entered the islands. We didn't see them, and got through the reefy bits no problem, then started picking up the higher islands on the Radar. Great, I finally had a reference. We had some weird gusts. At 5.30am the wind suddenly started blowing at 20kts. With just the full main we were making 11kts downwind….then a violent shift of 40 degrees put us in an involuntary gybe, and off we went again at 11 kts. 10 minutes later the exact opposite, another gybe and off again. Not what you want after a long night, and quite exceptional.

By 5am we were through the islands and into the Koro sea heading west for Suva. I spoke to Bill on Vagabond Heart and recounted our experience. As I was talking with him he left the radio and dropped sail having just had the same experience, quite strange. Lucy Blue saw 2 water spouts close by and dropped sail instantly…..strange place. Im very glad we didn't see any water spouts as there was so little room to manoeuvre with reef on both sides.

At 05.15 on 14th September we crossed the date line, and started our count down to Greenwich. We had been heading away from Greenwich for a year less a week and now we were heading back home, a significant point for us, being exactly half way round the world.

The wind filled in from the NW and steadily increased over the day until it was blowing 25kts pretty much on the nose, but by the following morning the wind died completely, and being only 30 miles out of Suva, we could come back onto course, making the pass into the harbour at lunchtime with no wind and bright sunshine. We anchored opposite the Royal Suva Yacht Club at 1300 and waited for Customs to arrive. It had taken 3 days from Tonga with a week of different conditions. An extremely busy bit of sailing!!

Port Control had informed us that Customs, immigration and quarantine would be with us that afternoon, but at 1500 a launch turned up and said they would be along in the morning. We radioed Port Control and received clearance to go ashore to the Yacht Club for dinner and to let the Boys run. The RSYC was the first proper yacht club we had been in since Bayona. It was quite informal and had a good attendance of friendly locals and ex pats. It was a real club in the sense that the same faces were there each night with a fresh uplift of new faces on the weekend…. and an attentive steward. We all felt quite at home.

Customs and company arrived at 11am the following morning and having given them the required paperwork in triplicate they departed with instructions to pay the launch $100 and attend their onshore offices by 1500 that day. Needles to say their offices were scattered around town so we spent the rest of the day in one office or another and by 1700 we had all the required paperwork for our stay in Suva. We were, however, expected to attend the same offices to clear out when we left Suva, and clear in again on arrival in Latoka. We were gong to see a lot of Customs and their friends while in Fiji., and always new forms in triplicate. I guess the massive amount of paperwork is part of the legacy left by the British…I cant wait until we get to India. I think I will invest in some carbon paper. The strange thing is, that in the offices and even in the shops, all the business is recorded both on computerised systems and in ledgers. Its as if there is no trust in the electronic system!

We liked Suva. It had a busy feel, a hustle and bustle, street vendors and discount stores, and absolutely no tourists. We really were in the minority as WASPS with the populace of Fijians, Asians and Indians. The people were friendly and courteous and, as in so many of the other countries we have been to, the boys had their heads touched continually. I think its just an involuntary reaction some people have to blonde hair, but as they pass, the hand comes out and just brushes their hair, then they look and smile at us and it happens again with someone else. The boys always attract attention and we are acutely aware of their difference, but as yet have felt no threat to their security. They are little monkeys and quite engaging. In the enormous fresh market in Suva they were given fresh pineapple, cut and ready, and managed, even with the language barrier, to convince a 12 year old barrow boy to race them around the stalls in his wheelbarrow…that drew a small crowd and big smiles.

We stocked up well, this being the first city we had been to since Papaeeteei, and enjoyed the variety and availability of products and the cheap nature of the stores. We bought sweet iced tamarind drinks and ate fresh corn on the cob from street vendors, and in a way it reminded me of Cartagena…. That, seems like a lifetime ago.

The taxis were reasonable and plentiful so it made life easy and after 2 days we had completed a major restock of the boat. In addition we both bought ourselves a little present. Amanda a new Nikon lens for her camera, and a new pair of Binoculars for myself. For some reason both items were affordable and good quality and would make a difference, so were easily justified.

While in Suva we had to sort out our Australian Visas. We took a taxi to the Australian consulate, pulled a ticket and waited…and waited…and waited. After 2 hours we were seen, but it was apparent it was not going to be straightforward. Our Passports were not sufficient evidenced of our parenthood and birth certificates and marriage certificates were required….. Impossible. We left and decided we would apply for electronic visas over the Internet, and extend them after our arrival in Australia. It took 20 minutes to apply and 4 hours to receive confirmation and authority to travel. It's quite remarkable how efficient, easy and economic a good website can be.

We were lucky that the first day or two it only rained in the afternoons and the mornings were clear. On the third day it really started raining and it just didn't stop for 2 days. I inverted our canopy and made a sort of tent over the cockpit, which kept the area dry so we had some outside space, but I have never seen rain like it. I had read somewhere that Suva receives 200 inches of rain a year. I started thinking about that and it dawned on me that that was 18ft of rain….that's a lot. No wonder umbrellas were cheap!!!

We were ready to leave Suva, so after doing the rounds I obtained clearance and on the 19th Sept we headed the 50 miles WSW to the Beqa lagoon and Yanuca island. Behind the island was a sheltered bay and we decided to spend a few days at anchor. We swam and I cleaned the weed from the waterline, a job I was having to do more often, and we walked and shelled the beach. The Boys were enjoying the beach and the weather was fine, although we could see it was still raining over Suva!!

There is a legendary surf spot know as Frigate Pass just 12 miles from the Bay we were anchored in and on the beach was a small, basic resort hostel for surfers. We went ashore and had a few drinks talking with some surfers from Hawaii. The girls were just as you would expect Hawaii surf chicks to be…all muscles and "like totally awesome waves man"…Ok for 20 minutes but you would struggle over dinner, unless you were arm wrestling or something.

The following morning we left with good light as early as we dared and tip toed through the uncharted lagoon to the pass into the clear water. We headed towards Latoka and after a brisk sail we came through the pass at 5pm, and at dusk we dropped anchor in Momi bay, the first sheltered bay available. The next day would be an easy hop 15 miles up the coast to Musket Cove where we had heard our friends the Vagabonds and the Blues had spent a week enjoying the resort and amenities. .

We arrived in time to see the Blues and the Vagabonds departing in separate directions and made a plan to meet with the Vagabonds in a few days. The Blues were off to smarten the boat up as they were trying to sell her and had a potential buyer flying in from Australia. They have completed 2 years on board and will have sailed from Norway to Australia, which was their plan, so its time to move Lucy Blue on. We planned to see them further down the track, and wished them luck with their endeavour.

While picking up a mooring Buoy we noticed a boat Mikado .we had not seen since the Marquesas. We said hi and bye as they were just off to Vanuatu, but confirmed we would see them at the end of October in Bundaberg, our arrival port in Australia. Many of the boats cruising the pacific and heading to Australia had decided to participate in a rally ending in Bundaberg. It promised to be a party, and would make the whole entry and documentation process easier and faster. We secured Pegasus, launched the dinghy and went ashore, looking forward to a swimming pool for the boys, and a good book and poolside service for us. Luxury.

Musket cove was in fact 2 resorts on an island with an airstrip. In total there were 5 pools and the boys swam in all of them. We ate in a couple of restaurants and enjoyed a relaxing 2 days. Its really quite easy when there's a pool. The boys swim all day, breaking for snacks and drinks, and we can relax. The resort caters for Australians and Kiwis looking for winter sun, a sort of antipodean's Lanzarote. As such there were quite a few "Chubby lobsters" wandering around , and our good mornings were answered with g'day.

We wanted to head out to some islands in the Yassawa group, so on the 24th September we headed north through the reef and islands in the lagoon up to the Mananutha-I-Ra group, where we knew Vagabond Heart was anchored. We sailed the 60 miles north arriving in a beautiful bay at 1500. The Bay was formed by 2 islands in a horseshoe, linked at the top by a coral reef. It was truly stunning, and reminded me of the location for that 80's TV programme "Fantasy Island".

The Vagabonds were leaving the next morning to pick up a guest flying into Latoka, so that evening we all met on the Beach for sundowners and a big fire. There was a local boat anchored on the beach and we greeted the 6 lobster divers as we arrived. They were very friendly and it seemed that they camped on the beach 3 days a week diving for lobster at night. We asked if they could catch some lobster for us. "No problem" they replied and off they went into the night. We had a great evening catching up with our friends and the boys ate toasted marsh mallows round the fire.

There was another boat in the bay, a swan 46 called Da Capo.. Alistair and Lucy had 3 small children on board, Callum 4, Naomi 3 and Thomas nearly 2., all animated and able. We met them on the beach and the boys started playing. These were the first children we had met that were about JJ and Louis' age, and we all got on famously.

That afternoon we met up with the lobstermen on the beach. They had 3 large lobsters for us, the green tail variety. We gave them a carton of cigarettes and they were overjoyed. They had expected a couple of packets, and after our generosity they couldn't do enough for us. One of the men cut saplings and made the boys a bow and arrow each, and we sat and chatted about Fiji and their lives and villages for some time. In reality it was a good trade as the cigarettes we had bought in Panama for 6USD and that's a small price to pay for risking your life diving in shark infested waters with a clacking lobster on the end of your spear….. which was the only alternative I could see to catch lobster for Amanda..

Drinks onboard Da Capo and a rendezvous the next morning on Pegasus for swimming and play time. Pegasus is a great boat for that sort of thing and we had an easy morning with plenty of swimming and good social. The afternoon we spent shelling and walking on the beaches and we climbed up the rocks for a spectacular view of the Bay. The Vagabonds returned that evening and we had drinks on board and met their guest Patricia, an old friend of the Vagabonds.

We spent 2 more days and nights in the Bay, all enjoying the terrific snorkelling, fires and BBQ on the beach and some great shelling. Time was pushing on for all of us and after a superb curry night on board Vagabond Heart, we all left the Bay the next morning, the 29th September heading our separate ways.

We arrived in Latoka, some 35 miles, after lunch and made our way to Customs to check in. Even though our plan was to only be there a night we needed to officially enter, and clear out again.. After the formalities we went into town and bought supplies, milk, coke and beer. We hauled this all aboard and returned to town for dinner. With the large Indian population in Fiji, the Indian food was fantastic, readily available and cheap. We ate curry and dahl, while the boys had chicken, chips and roti, which they love. We were not impressed with Latoka, and felt a slightly threatening feel on the streets. It had none of the colonial charm of Suva and we were ready to leave. We planned a little shopping, clear out and away by lunchtime the following day.

I was woken the morning of 30th September by my mother in England….Tsunami warning., Great! Now I've covered this in a previous blog so I wont elaborate, but after the threat had diminished we completed our shopping had a quick lunch and arrived at customs to check out. There was no one there as they had all taken the day off due to the Tsunami warning. There were 6 other boats with business, so after some time a car load of officials turned up to man the offices. I have to say it was quite impressive watching the 5 Indians dealing with the 7 boats all at the same time. There were 7 of us filling out forms on every available surface, and 5 of them photocopying and stamping everything in sight. After 20 minutes we were done (having completed the paperwork prior to arrival) and we upped anchor and headed south so that we could get an early start through the pass in the morning. We motor sailed the 40 miles to Momi bay and dropped the hook at 2100. Being only 3 miles from the pass through the reef protecting the lagoon, we could be up at first light and on passage to New Caledonia before breakfast.

On reflection we liked Fiji. There was no feeling that this was a country that had just had a coup, and the people were friendly and engaging. There was a slight feeling in the Latoka area of the locals being tourist weary, and as such they were not as friendly, but on balance it is definitely somewhere we hope to go again. I have to say that I do like going to countries where HRH is on the bank notes. It always makes us feel that we are slightly more than visitors.

There are thousands of islands to explore in the Fiji group and some really remote regions. It was a shame to be leaving after only 15 days having just scratched the surface, but time was pushing on, and we had a rendezvous in Noumea with Ben the Cameraman on 7th October, and some 750 miles to cover.

We set off on 1st October in 15-20kts SSW close-hauled, making 10+Kts through deep azure water, and with clear skies….. It felt good to have Pegasus flying again.

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Vava'u Tonga

Vava'u Tonga

We left Suwarrow on 20th August bound for Neiafu in the Vava'u group, northern Tonga. It is about 700 miles and our detour via Suwarrow had cost us 100miles, but with the violent conditions we experienced there, we were glad to have stopped

Although the weather predictions on the grib files were not perfect we felt good about leaving and were ready. As is so often the case, the time to leave is when you feel it is right. That morning felt good and after plenty of beach time, the boys were ready. We always try and give them a good day on the beach with plenty of swimming and play before a passage. It wears them out and, being different, makes their days on board more interesting. We expected light winds with a moderate swell for the first few days, then the passing of a front with the wind backing swiftly and intensifying. With such variable conditions I knew I was in for a physically demanding few days.

We had light shifty winds for the first 3 days, so plenty of kite work, then the wind filled in early on day 4 and came on the nose at 20 kts. Pegasus is pretty swift and 20kts on the nose is 28-30 apparent so its windy, and we slowed down to 7-8 kts, which is more comfortable and less bouncy. There is a tendency to jump waves at over 8 kts, which is not what you want to be doing with the family asleep on a windy moonless night! The wind backed and by the early evening it was a beam with a moderate sea and so we were back up to speed. We kept the wind through day 5 and in the afternoon arrived in Tonga after quite a work out. On our approach we saw a large humpback whale, our first, breaching some 100 meters from the boat. We all felt good.

Although strenuous, it was great sailing after the slow passage to Suwarrow and I was pleased to be back in the saddle, so to speak, after so long without a really good sail. We caught good fish with 3 Wahoo and a Tuna (8-12 kg range), so the freezer was full and we were all looking forward to some local cruising around the islands, some time in town, the internet etc. and a few meals out. After tying up alongside the container wharf and completing our quarantine, customs and immigration duties we headed up to town and picked up a buoy opposite a restaurant bar called the aquarium.. Lucy Blue had arrived the day before and the Vagabonds were at anchor in a bay having been there for a few days. We had been in touch on the SSB and had loose plans to cruise the islands together.

We arrived on 25th August (GMT -12), but because Tonga sensibly, wants to be in the same time zone as its neighbours it jumps the dateline so although actually 174 degrees west of Greenwich, it pretends to be 180 degrees East, therefore it was 26th August, (GMT +.13).

Up to this point our GPS and charting software had been accurate, but we knew from others that this would not always be the case and that in Tonga, and Fiji certainly, the offset would be different. In the past this had lead to boats running up on reefs and floundering, as the GPS is accurate but the charts, although new, are based on surveys that in some cases are hundreds of years old so the island appear in the wrong place. Our charting software was out by a few hundred yards, but it made little difference as most of the navigation in the reef-strewn waters is by eye. What was important was that we could get a fix on the degree of inaccuracy, so had a reference for the region. This would be important at each island group we went to.

Neiafu the capital of the Vava'u group is really quite small and compact. There are a number of supermarkets which are not really super…you know , 6ft of corned beef on one shelf followed by 6ft of powdered milk…great. That evening we went for dinner at the Vava'u yacht club; a bar called the Mermaid, and had a jolly evening with Lucy Blue. Their trip to Tonga had been a nightmare. Expecting light winds Buc had diverted to Pago Pago in American Samoa to buy diesel. Quite a detour. After checking in and out, paying wharfage, agents etc he finally got away after 24 hours and a few hundred dollars lighter to be faced with 56 hours of headwinds. Bill on Vagabond who was only 60 odd miles from Buc at the point of detour, carried his own wind all the way to Tonga and had a great trip!!! That's cruising!

The following morning the boys and I went ashore to find bread eggs and bacon. We found delicious white loaves freshly baked, bacon, but no eggs…apparently there was a shortage. In fact there was a shortage of many items. We learnt that the new supply boat bought by the Tongans from the Fijians was, in fact, not quite so new, and on its second trip it sank on route to Neiafu. It was a local tragedy, with 80 Tongans killed, and everyone in Neiafu had family or neighbours who perished. To add insult to injury, the new ambulance for the hospital was aboard and thus lost as well. It was a tragedy backed by scandal as it was rumoured that senior government officials had been involved in what was seen to be a "persuaded" decision to purchase the vessel. No doubt the inquiry will bring out the truth.

The result was that the shops were empty and they were waiting for new supplies due in a day or two. That afternoon we wandered round town to discover that the Vava'u Regatta was to be held after the weekend. It all sounded quite jolly with many events, a kids day and a race to an outer island where a full moon party was to be held the following Saturday. It was Friday so we planned to spend the weekend at a few anchorages then head back to town for Tuesday night and participate in the regatta.

Vagabond Heart arrived in town and we all went to a Tongan feast for dinner. It was set up by the catering college as a trial run for their service skills, and a bit of a home grown affair. I enjoyed it and the food was good although it was "trestle tables and plastic cutlery in the assembly room". There was some traditional Tongan dancing (this is just not as alluring as the French Polynesian dancing and I guess age and diet has something to do with it!) and a Kava area. The whole affair was organised by an American Peace Volunteer. I had not come across them before but basically they are young Americans (Mid / late 20's) who volunteer to live in outlying villages and add to the community in a variety of ways, teaching skills and language to the populace. I was shocked to learn that many of them had spent over 2 years in their current posts.

Kava is big in this part of the pacific. Basically it's a root that's masticated and reduced to a pulp. Its then added to water and the men sit around drinking it in a ritual with a prescribed format. Its quite peppery and had a numbing effect, and I'm sure if you sat around all night drinking the stuff you would sleep quite soundly, and probably have quite a good evening. It does, however, taste filthy and I think I would have to be a long way from civilisation to be persuaded of its virtues! It is very popular, and is what the men do most evenings…sit in a circle, drink Kava and play guitar.

We headed off the following morning in convoy some 5 miles to a beautiful anchorage in a deeply protected horseshoe bay called Port Morrell. There was a sandy beach, good coral to snorkel and not too distant, some caves to explore. We launched the dinghy and headed off to a cave called Swallows cave. We could motor right inside and besides the graffiti it was stunning. On our way back we snorkelled in some smaller caves en famille before returning to spend the rest of the afternoon on the beach.. That night we all gathered on the beach and lit a large fire, enjoyed a drink and watched the sun dip over the distant west horizon. It was all pretty perfect and we decided to stay another night and have a BBQ the following evening. Another day on the beach and a great BBQ and we were ready to move on.

Having decided to go and find Mariners cave, the following day we all departed on Lucy Blue for the 8-mile trip to the elusive cave. The directions to the cave were a bit sketchy and with the entrance 2 meters underwater it was a bit tricky, but when we approached the area Bill and I took the dingy and found the entrance. The weather was still and we dived down to check it out. We had read that it's about 4 meters through the rock to access the cave, but even so it takes an act of faith to swim into the black not knowing if there's any cave or air at the end of the tunnel. We both popped up inside the cave 40 seconds later thinking the whole experience was quite surreal. Inside the air was damp and the condensation formed mist as the swell compressed the air…quite weird. Swimming out was easier as the entrance appeared as a turquoise pool of light, and once outside we headed off to get the children.

After the vagabond and the Blues had swam, I took JJ into the water. Asking him if he wanted to do it, he said yes, put his head under and swam into the dark, closely followed by me. Quite amazing really that at just 5 he could swim 2 meters down and 4 meters into the unknown!! It was pretty exciting for him to be in the cave, but it was the swim that did it for him and on surfacing outside he looked pretty pleased with himself. Louis, although fully kitted up in the dinghy, was just too young for that sort of stuff, but he enjoyed being in the dinghy and part of the action. While having lunch on Lucy Blue we headed back to the anchorage all feeling good that we had found and swam Mariners cave.

We spent the following few night at anchorages in the outer islands and when the weather closed in we headed back to town for shopping, internet and a bit of regatta fun. It was wet and windy, but in the relative calm of the harbour, being close to town and the action was probably the best place to be. As part of the regatta, which was more of a local festival really, there were craft markets, BBQ's, a few races and a good social program. The Craft market was great and we bought a traditional, carved Tongan sword / dagger made from the bill of a broad bill fish. I'm not sure what we will do with it, but you have just got to buy these things when you see them.

I'm not really that keen to Race Pegasus, as she is our home, but I thought it would be fun to race down to Vakaeitu Island where we were going to go to the Full Moon Party. I was a bit wary at the start with 30 boats in the close harbour, and Pegasus is not really suited to short tacking, but we got the hang of it and avoided any mishap, arriving top third of fleet at the anchorage and finish.

At sundown we took the dinghy round to the small beach and landed at the full moon party. Set in a natural bowl straddling the small peninsular with a lagoon and ocean beach the setting was perfect. Valet parking for dinghy's, two sound systems, Bar, BBQ, big screen images and entertainments…looked like a great party, and it was. There were lots of children, and we knew plenty of people so we all had a great time. After midnight we headed back to Pegasus vaguely surprised to find that we had the right dinghy. A great night enjoyed by all.

A swim and breakfast freshened us up and we headed off to spend a few days at Euakafa Island, 5 miles to the SE. This uninhabited island is absolutely stunning, although not a great anchorage. We were in the lea of the island, so quite comfortable, and while it was windy and there was the worry of the anchor dragging, the beauty and water clarity made it quite special. We shelled on the beach, walking round the island, and climbed through the jungle, past the tomb of a historic Tongan queen, to a fantastic look out over the islands and anchorages of the Vava'u group. A large humpback whale and its calf swam down the channel north of the island for 2 hours and we watched as the wale and calf dived and surfaced 200 meters from our boats. On the way back it rained and we made jungle umbrellas out of young palm fronds. Lighting a fire on the beach and having a BBQ was a step too far and as the heavens opened again 13 wet bodies and the remains of the BBQ decamped to Lucy Blue for another good evening with our friends.

The vagabonds wanted to head out to another island but we thought that with the windy wet weather the best place was in town, so upped sticks and headed back to Neiafu. We had to take on a few supplies and get ready to leave, so we picked up another buoy and headed into town. That evening, as part of the regatta, we had been invited to a reception hosted by the Governor, so dressed in our finery, with the boys as pirates, we attended the reception and prize giving. Everyone won a prize, of course, and after dinner we returned to Pegasus feeling like it was time to leave and push on to Fiji. We had to complete our customs and immigration duties and tied up on the wharf again, to take on the duty free fuel we had organised. We did a bulk purchase with the Vagabonds and the Blues, and after a couple of hours we were ready to go. With so much rain we had filled our tanks with the water catcher, and we had stores, the only thing stopping us was the weather. With the delay over fuel it was 4pm (and Friday!) so we headed up to Port Morrell again to wait and see what the morning would bring.

Saturday and still windy. We were well sheltered but out at sea it was blowing a full 30+kts….let's look at tomorrow. Sunday 12th September looked good, and Lucy Blue with Vagabond Heart left at about 11am. I had developed Tonsillitis and was on antibiotics again, the second time since leaving Bora Bora. Once they kicked in later that afternoon, it was time to go. We put up the main, pulled up the anchor and headed through the islands in 20kts on the port aft quarter heading for Fiji via the Lakemba passage in the Lau group. The weather looked steady at 20's from the ESE, then easing on the final day or so to 12-16Kts ESE. Sounded perfect. Although feeling weak I knew that the steady conditions meant a less physical passage, and it felt good… the right time.

We really only saw the true beauty of the Vava'u group once, standing on top of the mountain on Euakafa Island. The skies cleared briefly and as the sun broke through, the water shone turquoise with the reef clear and apparent. We saw the island stretching into the distance in the beautiful water and it felt like paradise waiting to be explored. Most of our time there it had been windy and wet with the SPCZ hovering overhead, so that the true beauty had eluded us. With the convergence zone heading NE we hoped for fine weather, and that our time in Fiji would be different.

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Suwarrow / Suvarov

Suwarrow / Suvarov

Leaving Bora Bora we both felt relieved. We had finally left the French Islands and we were looking forward to exploring some new culture and islands. I think some of the reason for our relief was that we had seen our friends and other cruisers leaving heading west and listened to their passages on the SSB, so we knew we had a difficult passage to make and wanted to get it started. We knew we had missed a good weather window and we certainly felt time pressure to head west. We still had a lot of pacific to see before we had to be in Australia by end October.

Our plan was to head to Tonga, but the weather was looking unsettled with long calms and a windy finish. It suited to break the journey somewhere allowing us to pick the weather for our arrival in Tonga. There were 3 options. The southern route via Aitutaki in the Southern Cooks, the middle route via Palmeston Atoll and/or Nuie, or the northern route via Suvarov. The weather at the time was unsettled with the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) spread right across our path. It seemed that the winds were either much stronger than forecast or much weaker. Faced with a windy southern route or no wind northern route we decided to head for the middle route.

We set off on a beautiful day with a light SE wind and made reasonable progress on the first day. I flew the spinnaker for the first time since it was repaired in the Marquesas, and saw that it was a perfect job. Old Russ the sail maker on Zephyr had done a fantastic job on the large sail and had given us back our light wind horsepower. We were back in business.

The weather was looking light so we decided to head north a little to skirt over a windless patch. Well that didn't work and the windless patch just kept moving into our path on a daily basis. We sailed, motor sailed and then motored and after day 3 we decided our best option was to head for Suvarov. On the first 5 days we had no more than 10kts of wind with some absolutely flat conditions as well. The last 50 miles we had 30kts of breeze aft abeam and arrived after a fast finish. A long passage that we had planned for 4 days had taken us 6 and quite a bit of diesel. It had been really hot, rainy, flat, windy and cold so quite a mixed bag. We did, however catch good fish with a lovely big Mahi and 3, 15kg tuna, so we were ok for food as any resupply would have to wait until we arrived in Tonga..

We entered the atoll to find our friends Vagabond Heart and Lucy Blue at anchor, and after settling down we planned to get together that evening on Pegasus. The wind started to increase and by evening it was blowing a full 40+ knots. We were glad to be in the lagoon as conditions outside had deteriorated and there was a shot frequency (8 second) 4 meter swell running. We all had a good party and with the weather set to stay very windy for the next few days we planned to spend some time on the beach in the lea of the island and all have a few dinners together. Travel between the boats was wet and windy but arrival after challenging conditions always makes for a good party and we all had many laughs.

Suvarov is basically an atoll, national park 700 miles from its nearest neighbor. The Cook Islands have a warden on station who lives there for 6 months of the year with his family, and looks after the wildlife and small islands. John, Veronica and their 4 boys were charming and very hospitable, which made the islands, and the cruising community there feel very welcoming. There were 15 boats in the small anchorage, and an American boat (Carynthia) had a couple on board who were going to get married. We were all invited and on the windy days before, the women and children spent hour's platting coconut fronds to make a variety of ties, hats and skirts. The planned day of the wedding was delayed and when the weather cleared we all helped to prepare the beach and make food for a wedding party feast. It was a great party and the sun appeared and set over the atoll as they made their vows. All very American, lots of "I love you beautiful people "stuff, but a good party. (I think there are some pictures on the net at www.52hertz.com try looking under Pictures, Suwarrow / Suvarov.)

We really enjoyed our time in Suvarov (Suwarrow). We partied with our friends, the boys had a great time on the beach and other boats, and we explored a few of the islands. It was very different from our time in the Society Islands and exactly what we were looking for. Completely beautiful, remote yet with good social. It was a shame that we were going to miss Palmeston and Nuie. We had heard that the Humpback Whales were in the anchorage in Nuie, swimming between the boats, and that would have been fantastic, but we were sure we would see them when we got to Tonga, and there is just not time to do it all in one hit!

John had told us that the week before a sperm whale had washed up on one of the outer reefs and the decomposing body was still sitting on the reef. I thought this would make a great boys trip, so Buc (Lucy Blue) and Bill (Vagabond Heart) and myself set off to find the whale, and perhaps a tooth or two. We went out to the reef, some 3 miles, and found the body. It was pretty large and in a state of decay. We all cut teeth from the jaw and was surprised that the meat was much like steak, and not at all like fish! I also found 2 rib bones, which I carried back to Pegasus. While in Bequia in the Carib we had lunch in a house carved out of the rock, know as the Moonholes, and the owner had used whale ribs as banisters for his stair well. I thought that was an excellent idea, and hope that I can use them in a similar fashion at some point in the future.

Dead whale smells bad. The bones are honeycombed, and seep oil, which also smells whale like and bad. My plan was to let the ribs sit in the sun and get washed and bleached naturally, so I found a spot on the aft deck and they are still there today. They don't smell quite as much, so I guess its working. The teeth we boiled and removed of flesh and they are now pretty clean and not at all smelly. It was all quite an adventure and something that will probably never happen again. My view was that they were going to end up at the bottom of the lagoon anyway so why not take them. 3 days later the whale had disappeared, presumably washed off the reef and sunk in the lagoon.

We had been there 5 days and after the wedding many of the boats departed for Tonga and American Samoa. We said goodbye to V Heart and L Blue and moved closer to the beach and into the lea of the island. We were going to leave, but John asked if we would stay a few days until he got to know the new arrivals which were expected over the following few days.

Having not been over diligent with the video camera, we thought this an ideal opportunity to film a few things on shore with John and his children. Principally some fishing, gutting fish etc, shark feeding with the guts, and excitingly capturing a coconut crab, which we knew were on the island. We filmed all the fishing action and watched as the oldest son called the sharks into the beach on the sea side of the island. They were about 20 small Black tips and larger Grey sharks, and they went berserk when Jeremiah started throwing the fish bits into the water. I'm very glad that we didn't see any Grey's in the lagoon, although there were always Black Tips about when we were swimming. The Grey's are different and just go wild when they smell blood!!!

John was quite protective of his coconut crabs. They were present on a number of islands in the atoll, and on the main island where he lived. On many island in the Pacific they were now extinct, as they had been hunted for their meat. They are quite large, perhaps 20 inches across and have very powerful claws, enabling them to husk, break and eat coconuts, which gives them a slight flavour of coconut and they are delicious. We set off into the bush with John's boys who knew where they lived. We were lucky and found one out of its hole, which they caught and we duly filmed. After letting it go it scurried back into its hole not to be seen again. John had caught one the day before and our boys were thrilled when it grabbed their sticks and broke them with ease. I'm sure they could easily break a finger or two. Really quite prehistoric.

We spent days on the beach shelling and snorkeling the reefs and coral heads. The fish life was magnificent and we regularly saw sharks rays and octopus' (octopuses? Octopi?). After 8 days the weather was looking good so we decided to push on to Vava'u in the Tonga group, some 700 miles southwest. The SPCZ had pushed north so we thought we should have a good run into Tonga, with perhaps some wind on the last day. On 20th August we said our goodbye's, and left on a beautiful morning with 12 kts of breeze from the East…. Perfect conditions.

We were sad to leave Suvarov. We had got on well with John, Veronica and their family. They had shown us their islands and given us free reign, for which we were grateful. It must be very difficult to live that sort of wilderness existence for 6 months and then return to the office for the remainder of the year. What a job!!

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Right here, Right now. 1st October 2009

Right here, Right now. 1st October 2009 Post Tsunami

Don't worry, don't worry, were all alright!! The south Pacific earthquake and subsequent Tsunami has passed (we hope) and alls well with Pegasus and family. We were in Fiji when we had a call from my mother early Tuesday morning warning us that a Tsunami warning was in place post the American Samoan earthquake. We were anchored off the town of Latoka NW Fiji, well inside the protective reefs. At 0700 I logged onto the SSB net and other cruisers within a 1000 mile radius had heard the warnings on Australian news services. At 0725 the first reports on the net came through of a suck and surge in Tonga. Remarkably it seemed to be only a 1.5 meter surge, and in the Vavau it was felt in the outer anchorages but not in the main town. We expected any surge to be felt by 0900 so waited on board with a few more phone calls from my mother giving more details. At 0930 the local radio broadcast an interview with the Tsunami warning centre in Hawaii who said that any surge in Fiji would be limited to 1 meter maximum and the monitored wave looked like it had passed us by. Remarkably we felt nothing. Feeling relieved we went ashore to complete our tasks before checking out with customs and heading out of Latoka to start the passage to New Caledonia. Sadly the following morning the reception was so bad that I could not hear the SSB net so am unsure as to the extent of damage or which Island had the worst hits. I gather there has been another earthquake in SE Asia, but apart from that info we are in the dark so to speak! Hoping for better reception this morning.

Its now 0520 Thursday morning and we are 160 miles SW of Fiji with 15kts breeze from the south. 2 reefs in main, full genoa and staysail making 6 kts in a 2 meter swell. I'm hoping that the passage will not be too physically demanding and that I can finally settle and catch up with the Blog, which has fallen a little behind. Stay tuned, there will be more over the next few days…….

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The Society Islands

The Society Islands

As with any new destination, there is administration and service to execute. We needed to perform all the usual tasks: food, laundry, fuel and water, in addition to "checking in" with the Gendarme and collecting a certificate allowing us to purchase fuel duty free. I had also to collect Jean-Jaque's new passport, which the British Consulate in Panama had forwarded to a commonwealth office in Papaeete that turned out to be an Air New Zealand office. After so long away from mainstream civilisation Papaeete was quite a shock…. noisy, fast cars, hustle and bustle, we had to be on our toes as we were all easily distracted. I was surprised at how alien it all felt!!

Taking the bus into town, we had one of those days where all things just slot into place. Amanda and the Boys found a play park while I was doing the admin, we had lunch in town and on the way back spent a fortune at the supermarket.

In truth the selection was fantastic and the pricing was not dissimilar to Europe. After 2 hours we had restocked Pegasus, bought Louis' Birthday presents and completed the major part of our administration leaving us free to enjoy Louis' 3rd birthday on 4th July.

As is the birthday ritual, we decorated the pilothouse with balloons and streamers and when Louis woke he opened his presents with a little help from Jean-Jaques, before breakfast of banana pancakes and maple syrup.

The boys had a great day and we took them to the Lagoonaruim (sort of poor aquarium) and walked back to the boat via a fun fair where they performed a good double act on the bouncy castle, running rings around the ticket collector gaining a few extra goes.

It was festival time in Tahiti, culminating in big celebrations on Bastille Day, 14th July, coincidentally Jean-Jaques 5th birthday. We planned to be back in Papaeete on 13th July so were keen to spend the week looking at the island. We decided a circumnavigation was in order so on 7/7 we set off through Passe de Taapuna and headed south to a quiet anchorage behind a motu for the night before anchoring in Teeahupo the following day.

Teeahupo is a world famous surf spot and we intended spending a few days there before moving on. Our friends on Vagabond Heart and Lucy Blue appeared that evening and so there was plenty of social for all. We spent time snorkelling / drift diving the outer lagoon area close to the reef, collecting shells and watching the fish and stingrays. The waves breaking against the reef were huge and at night we could hear their thunder, while safely anchored inside the tranquil lagoon.

The snorkelling in Tahiti was just fantastic. The vibrant turquoise shallows close to the outer reef are just amazing. Every time is different as you just don't know what you are going to see or find. Saying that, its also weather dependant, as if overcast, windy or raining, its just not the same experience. We had our fair share of rainy overcast days as well.

We left through the Teahupo pass headed south to the wild side of "little Tahiti" the smaller southern island. The road stops at Teahupo and the villages on the south and Southeast side are cut off, with villages travelling by small speedboats inside the lagoon. We spent a few days in the south enjoying the solitude and local hospitality, and headed back up to the Tahiti Yacht Club on 12/7. After messing around with the anchor in a squall, we elected to pick up a club buoy and went ashore to settle up and find the lay of the land. I have to say that the club was lovely and felt very welcoming. The Secretary gave us a key for the showers and laundry and there was a small bar open. "Just one night? No charge - just bring back the key in the morning" We all went back ashore for showers, but sadly the restaurant was shut. We put the laundry on and headed out to find dinner.

Behind the club was a small sports hall with plenty of action and music?? We walked in and found a seat and watched traditional Polynesian song and dance for an hour or so. There must have been 60 dancers in full dress and it was spellbinding. We found out later that it was the last dress rehearsal for the Bastille Day dance competition in Papaeete. There is something very evocative about Polynesian dancing and we felt very lucky to have witnessed such a wonderful display.

Next to the stadium we found a pizza / brochette stall and enjoyed pizza sitting on stools beside the van. These vans are everywhere in French Polynesia and are really a restaurant on wheels. As you can imagine, the food is French, so quite delicious and it makes for a viable alternative with the Boys. Eating is taken seriously by the French, so restaurants tend to open later and the boys are usually just too tired to eat after 7pm. Lunch is always our best restaurant option.

Food in France and by influence French Polynesia is a way of life. The range available in Tahiti was vast and varied, but many imported items were very expensive. Baguette, butter, pate and some cheeses are subsidised, readily available in most islands. We stocked up on pate, Camembert, pickles, cured meats and sausage, which was our daily lunch, and Amanda bought what we required for dinners on board. She is really very talented at shopping and will buy what we need. I am no use in the supermarket as I'm always looking at the prices…"do we really need 4 of those" etc. However I never complain at the fair Amanda presents at sea and our table is always full of varied and delicious food. I have now rationalised my supermarket experience to fulfilling specific tasks with the boys….18 litres of milk ok,…4 dozen eggs…".right I'm taking the boys off for a coffee / juice". This is now much better for everyone

Leaving the Yacht Club the following morning we wound our way through the coral and exited the pass. Accompanied by a pod of dolphins, a rare sight in French Polynesia, we motored 5 miles back up to Papaeete. We needed to get back up to the shops to buy the rest of JJ's presents and get ready to meet Grand Mere who would arrive on the 15th.

We anchored out by the reef and I amused the boys (swimming) while Amanda went and finished the shopping. The boys went to bed excited and we decorated the pilothouse with balloons and pirate paraphernalia and wrapped JJ's presents. His main present was a boogie board, which he had specifically asked for, and he was delighted to open it the following morning.

The plan was to meet the Vagabonds and Blues in the anchorage by Tahina Marina on the afternoon of the 14th as we were hosting a joint Pirate party for the boy's birthdays. Everyone turned up at about 4 and there was lots of fun on board. Treasure hunts, party games and lots to eat. Amanda had prepared sushi for openers at JJ's request but the real winner was a watermelon full of melon balls with a chocolate dip, and of course the Pirate cake. Everyone had a great time and the Boys went to bed happy and tired.

Grand Mere had arrived in Tahiti late on the evening of 14th and we planned to go to the Hilton early the following day for breakfast and swimming in the pool. We arrived at 8am and the Boys had a great time swimming then we all had breakfast, a real treat. OK it was pretty expensive, but I do love an all singing all dancing hotel breakfast.

It was decided that I would leave the others in the hotel, and I went downtown to sign out with the Gendarme, as we planned to leave for Moorea, just 12 miles to the West, the following day. Mum and Amanda went off to Carfour after lunch for a few last minute items…a pair of fins for Grand Mere… and we had a great evening on board with presents for the boys and lots of goodies from the UK. Star of the show were a pair of Crocs each for reef walking, a present from Edwin my younger brother, and a large jar of Branston Pickle for the excellent cheddar we had found in Carfour. The Boys number one were a power ranger's suit for JJ and a Spiderman suit for Louis. They both love them, and are hanging up by their bunks today.

We set off for Moorea in good time, sailing in light winds under Genoa arriving in Opunohu Bay at lunchtime. This is a beautiful bay and we anchored in 4 meters of crystal clear water on sand. After lunch we swam off the boat and went ashore for a walk and swim A lazy afternoon. We had an early super and by 7.30 we were all in bed. (On Board we tend to eat and go to bed early. It just seems to be the correct rhythm to be in bed by 8 and up by 6.)

Our plan was to try to get to the northern islands and spend most of our time there before Grand Mere had to leave for the UK. We had a weather window and I was keen to make the 80 mile passage in fair weather, but was conscious that Grand Mere needed to get acclimatised to Pegasus first, hence our trip to Moorea. The following day we moved to a shallow sheltered anchorage, known romantically as the Club Med anchorage, and spent the day snorkelling off the boat, shelling on the Motu and watching stingrays being fed. By 4pm we were back on board ready to pull up anchor and depart for Huahine.

We were in no great hurry, again wanting to arrive in daylight, so sailed under Genoa alone, making 5+ kts in a slightly confused sea. We arrived at the pass at 8am and made our way down the West side of the island and finally found a sheltered spot to stop for a couple of days, swim, shell and relax. Huahine is a little off the beaten track and has few tourists so local interaction is more genuine. We spent a memorable hour with a local farmer who cut drinking coconuts and gave us Paw paw and bananas for the boat.

There was a growing desire on board to get to the shops. With impending windy weather we decided to head for the next island of Raiatea and the old capital of Uturoa. It was a short hop of 30 miles downwind and we arrived at a sheltered anchorage early afternoon. We organised a taxi and spent the following morning in town, stocking up with stores and wandering round the various shops.

I was keen to stop and put the anchor down for a few days. We had decided that we would spend most of the remaining time in Bora Bora, and as the weather looked good that day we made an uneventful 30 mile passage arriving at the pass Teavanui just after lunch. I had read our cruising guide, Charlie's charts and selected a sheltered anchorage behind a sandy spit, showing a good beach and walk over the Motu to another Motu…. Sounded lovely.

On arrival we found that those intrepid explorers messes Hilton and Intercontinental had visited sometime after our guide and built a sprawling hotel on the site. What a shame. This was very much the story with Bora Bora. Most of the beautiful spots had hotels on them with little huts on legs protruding into the lagoon and signs declaring the beaches private. It really was quite developed, and the overall impression was that of paradise spoilt. That said, the developments and indeed Bora is designed to be viewed from land and I'm sure if one were staying at the four seasons it would be breathtaking.

We searched and found some beautiful spots in the south of the island and spent 10 days in various anchorages, swimming, walking, shelling etc. Grand Mere had found the addictive nature of shelling and was building quite a collection, so much so that I think she had a concern about her baggage allowance!

The weather was varied. We spent 2 days on a buoy next to a restaurant called Bloody Mary's where it rained all day and blew 45+kts. Not too taxing in your little hut at the four seasons but a challenge on a boat with 2 small children. We walked, played on the (quite filthy) beach in the rain but had a good lunch. It all changes quickly when the sun comes out.

Grand Mere's departure was looming and we decided we would fly her back to Tahiti from Bora rather than waste a day on a windward passage.

Those of you who have been to Tahiti from the UK will know what a long process it is. Mum left on a Monday from London and arrived on Wednesday night in Tahiti. But I have to say that she organised it pretty well. On advise from the travel agent, and on the grounds that her knees are "just not what they were", she played the wheelchair card which effectively meant that she queue barged her way across the globe. In addition she is the only person I know who can have 2 family size suitcases accepted as hand luggage. It certainly made her trip less stressful, perhaps not the airlines!

It was time for Grand Mere to leave and we were all sad when we took the shuttle ferry out to the airport to say goodbye. We had last seen her in Lanzarote in October 2008 and who knows when we will see each other again. We all had a wonderful time and the Boys simply loved having their Grand Mere with them, sharing the close intimacy as you do on a boat.

It was also time for us to leave Bora and French Polynesia. I had been listening to the SSB following the passage of boats heading west and knew that the next leg to Tonga would be difficult. The weather predictions for this region are notoriously inaccurate as the South pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) can forcefully influence the region. Wind strengths were being seriously underestimated and the vessels that left the week before were being hammered in 40+ kts on predictions of 25's. The seas can be pretty big as well with 4-5 meter seas reported. The boats that headed on a more northern route, close to the Cook Island atoll of Suwarrow or Suvarov seemed to have better conditions. We decided to remain flexible and see what the conditions dictated. The weather worsened for a few days and after we had re-provisioned, carried out pre flight checks….mast inspection etc, and generally sorted our selves out, we left Bora on 6th Aug headed west.

I was glad to be leaving. The Society Islands are beautiful, but lack the expectation of discovery that we enjoyed. They suffer from being rather hyped and certainly overdeveloped. Finding real Polynesian spirit was difficult and we were looking forward to making our way back off the beaten track a little to discover atolls and island less frequented, offering a more intimate experience. In addition I was looking forward to some good sailing. I hadn't put the main up for over a month and we hadn't had the kite up since it was repaired 3 months past when in the Marquesas. Hopefully we would have a good trip to either Tonga direct (1300 miles) or Suwarrow (700 miles)

We are discovering, cruising the Pacific, that on arrival you really know very little about the intended cruising ground: nothing is relative as you have no experience. Moving downwind through the islands you constantly realise that there are islands now upwind that were passed over in favour of the visited mainstream islands. You are so fully immersed in the whole learning curve of Pacific sailing, weather, passage routes, food, money, tradition etc that disappearing off to unheard of islands is just a step too far, and too daunting to favour the unpopular over the popular, especially for those with novice status such as us. I'm sure current experience will open future adventure. I wish we had more time! To fully research the islands and passages, explore the more remote, outer islands, that would be a thing…….already, life is just too short

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Right Here, Right Now

Right here, right now…

Its 4am, 22nd August. Amanda's finished her 12-4 and I'm up now for the duration. Its 29 degrees and its going to be a hot one.

We're 15 degrees south, 165 west, heading 230 slowly….basically in the middle of nowhere…850 miles W of Bora Bora, 250 miles SW of Suwarow 250 miles SE of American Samoa and 450 miles NE of Vavau, Tonga, our destination.

It's harry flatters. I mean absolutely flat… glass, like oil. There's no moon or cloud, but light by the stars, mirrored on the surface of the water. Astern there's a trail of bioluminescence, a brief mark of our passage over waters were unlikely to see again, ahead a lost horizon, where stars stop and the ink begins. Breathtaking in its beauty and humbling in its magnitude, we are a speck on the Pacific. An insignificant 120 square meters of family life….Hmmmm…. don't want to dwell on that too long!!

I've got 2 hours before the boys are up and 7 weeks of blog to write…so that's not going to happen….I might get it wrapped before the wind kicks in… tomorrow, later, who knows, but when it gets here its going to blow old boots. Were in the SPCZ (South Pacific Convergence Zone) and its all or nothing. If historics are anything to go by we can expect 35Kts SW and 4-5 meter seas with a 5-7 second frequency…I had better tuck some more southing in the bank…

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The Tuamotoes

The Tuamotoes

We stayed only a short time in Haahopu Bay. It was lovely with a sandy beach and we all had fun in the surf, and snorkelling the rocks around the bay. I very nearly managed to catch a large octopus for the freezer, but it got away at the last. I wasn't that upset as it looked pretty big and I had no idea how it was going to react on the end of my lance. It was much more at home in its environment than I was, so I was slightly relieved when it and I retreated in opposite directions.

The weather looked settled and so on the evening of Friday 5th June we set sail for the 450 mile trip to the Tuamotoes, some times referred to as the dangerous archipelago.

The Tuamotoes are know as old islands where as the Marquesas are new?? Briefly, the Marquesas are tall volcanic islands that are not old enough for coral to have formed fringing coral reef. The Tuamotoes are old enough to have fringing coral reef but the islands themselves have sunk and eroded away, leaving just the reef and lagoons where the islands used to stand. The society islands (Tahiti, Bora Bora etc) are in between with tall islands and fringing reef and lagoons.

As the Tuamotoes are just low coral atolls, reefs and lagoons they are not visible from any distance and, due to strong currents running around the reef and motu (islands), have claimed many ships. To enter the lagoons and take advantage of the calm seas you have to get the tide right as the water can enter and exit the small passes through the reef at ferocious speed, making navigation impossible. In addition the lagoons are full of coral heads and reef so navigation is difficult and a good lookout with the sun behind / overhead is essential.

It is, therefore, not so much about speed on passage, rather the time of arrival. We wanted to arrive at our destination, Makemo atoll, in daylight and at low slack water. That put our perfect arrival at 11.15-1200 8th June.

We had a good sail down, with a rather lumpy cross swell, making 153 and 189 miles on the first 2 days. We caught a lovely big Mahi Mahi, but consigned it to the freezer as neither of us felt we could tackle eating fish yet!!. We were lucky and the weather was kind with 25 kts of breeze on the port quarter. We both still felt weak from the Ciguatera poisoning and it would have been a struggle had the weather turned nasty. But it was as expected and the following morning we spotted Makemo and headed for the northern pass. Our timing looked good, and we entered the pass at midday. Half an hour later we had the anchor down in clear, calm water at 17m depth. We could see the coral heads in the turquoise water and felt pleased and somewhat relieved that we had made our first pass without incident.

Lunch and ashore.

"Shark" cried Louis. "Look there" said JJ. There were 4 black tip reef sharks cruising the reef in 4 feet of water some 10ft from the beach. The boys were very excited, and it took some moments to persuade them that swimming with sharks was not a good idea. These were the first Pacific sharks we had really seen up close so we were all quite excited.

We walked down the beach and over to the windward reef looking for shells….one of our favourite pastimes. Its great to walk down a deserted windward beach as a family. The Boys love exploring the rock pools, finding crabs and fish, although there were quite a few baby Moray eels so we had to be careful, but they thought it was very exciting. Amanda and I keep a keen look out for shells and we always find a few nice specimens. There's a lot to look at and see. It doesn't matter where you are in the world…the boys love the beach. If we were back on the Isle of Wight, we would be doing much the same thing, although the marine life is more colourful and the shells more exciting in the Pacific.

Sometimes I find something useful…a marker buoy, a little piece of stainless steel, some rope…One day I found something I just couldn't leave behind. It was spherical with a Perspex dome on top, a solar panel and Arial. It was clearly a piece of scientific equipment designed to float at sea, and had a bar code with serial number on it. This, I thought, was worth the struggle. It must have weighed 20kg and after I had persuaded Amanda that we really needed this thing, I lugged it back to Pegasus. I thought I could trace the owner through the Internet and they must be keen to have it returned….the least I could do was to take the solar panel and LED light. My father googled the company and sent them an e mail. They replied that they weren't interested in its return and that it had been lost a long time ago. Ok, so lets take it apart…With hammer and chisel I gave it a good shot but I have to say that it was pretty indestructible. After half an hour I thought the best option was to return it to its home in the sea. It gave me some pleasure to think that some other cruiser will do exactly as I did in time to come.

WE had planned to stay in the north of the atoll for a few days and spend some time alone as team Lawrence. We found a lovely anchorage 12 miles down the lagoon and spent a week exploring, walking on the windward reef, making fires on the beaches, shelling and generally relaxing as a family. We were also recuperating from the poisoning and by the end of the week we felt much stronger and ready to move on.

The outer reef was just spectacular. Once you had made it through the bush, across the sharp volcanic lava full of fossilised coral (which makes up the atoll) then over the coral rubble, the outer reef lies ahead in no more than a meter of water. It forms a barrier around the island only 30 meters wide and the very outer 5 meters is slightly higher and solid coral. The colours were amazing with the solid, outer coral a vibrant pink and the inner coral a multitude of colour. We walked through the coral surrounded by fish, looking for shells and watching out for moray's and other nasties.

When on Pegasus we would all swim off the boat out to coral heads close by and watch the fish, keeping a constant look out for sharks as we had seen them from the dinghy when swimming. JJ is becoming a great diver and can touch the bottom in 3 meters of water, and Louis has just mastered his snorkel so we can all explore together. Louis got very excited when he really saw fish underwater for the first time. The Boys love to swim off the back of the boat, but we have a rule that we don't swim early or late in the day as that's shark-feeding time. At other times they're quite docile.

The weather turns about every 10 days or so being influenced by frontal movement way off to the south. The wind backs from the SE through E, NE then NW through to SW then back to the SE over a 2-3 day period. This causes havoc with the anchor rode and coral heads and also brings rain, wind and cooler temperatures. We found ourselves sitting on the beach in shorts and oilies thinking it was not so different from the Isle of Wight in summer. Even so, the boys were happy on the beach, harassing the large hermit crabs, chasing each other with palm fronds and generally doing what children do on beaches around the world.

We waited for a weather system to move over us, and as the wind backed round to the SE again we headed out of the N pass of Makemo and off to the southern pass at Fakarava atoll, some 90 miles west, but in effect 3 tides away. We planned to leave at last light…we had a track on the GPS so could safely leave the pass at roughly slack water and last light.

We planned to arrive in Fakarava at close to 11am, low water slack, so we were in no great hurry, sailing with just the Genoa making 5 kts in light winds. We arrived on 16th June at 10.45 am…perfect timing. We motored in through the pass without difficulty, with the surf breaking both sides only 20 meters away, and found our way easily to a suitable anchorage inside the lagoon, dropping the anchor in 12 meters of water in good holding. There were a few other boats there and we knew 2 boats, Vagabond Heart (with 3 children) and Lucy Blue (2 children). The Boys were very excited to see their friends again and its always a bit easier for us when there are other children around…not to mention good adult social as well.

We knew Vagabond Heat from the SSB Net we had been part of, on passage from the Galapagos, and first Met Australians Bill and Debbie (Edward 13, Alice 11, Will 9) in Anaho bay in the Marquesas. Debbie is a doctor (we discovered later), and they were anchored next to us when we had the ciguatera poisoning and looked after JJ and Louis the day after so we could sleep and recover. Lucy Blue we had met in Huku Niva (Marquesas) but had only met Ina, (Simon 12, Amanda 9) as her husband Buck was at work flying SAR helicopters in Norway. He was now on board for the rest of their passage to Australia.

We had a wonderful few days at the southern end of Fakarava. There is a little dive operation with a few guest huts on the motu by the pass, and plenty of other beaches on other motu close by. We would go off to the beach or swim / sail the optimist in the morning and get the children together in the afternoons. Its amazing how well they all integrate despite the age difference, with poor old Louis at the tail end, but the older boys are very inclusive and they all had a great time. Usually we would go and have a drink on board one of the boats and the kids would all watch DVD' s together for a hour or two, and it always made for a jolly evening. Debbie organised a treasure hunt on one of the motu one afternoon …. we built a fire, ate coconut and chatted as the sun sank over the horizon.

We drift dived / snorkelled the pass a few times. The boys loved it…loads of fish, rays,turtles, sharks, huge Maori wrasse, beautiful coral…quite spectacular. I took some great video for the production company and in a state of excitement viewed it on our return to Pegasus…..Nothing…a shark tail exiting the screen, fish just out of shot, close ups of nothing…really terrible. I had to go back and do it again the following day, but this time I got some great shots.

Our last night there, we all had dinner at the dive shack restaurant over the water. We had a great evening in the most spectacular setting Just 13 of us and 6 of their guests….flowery shirts bare feet and our dinghy's tied up outside the restaurant like horses outside a bar in a western.. I love travelling out to dinner in the dinghy…... There's always that little bit of adventure to look forward to on the way home.

The following day the Vagabonds and the Blues headed up island and we planned to meet them after lunch 15 miles further up the lagoon…I wanted to go and dive the pass one last time.

We motored up island and arrived in a beautiful anchorage early afternoon. It was perfect, just the 3 boats, no other people and virgin beach. We walked the beach looking for shells while all the children played and swam.

Now the shell thing was getting interesting, and there was just a little competitive edge starting to show between the girls. Ina found a rare and perfect shell right where we were all sitting on the beach…I think that started it. Anyway the following day we all went for a long walk on the windward side to try and find some large Cone shells, which had so far alluded us. We found some shells and Debbie was particularly pleased with a large cone shell she found..

That afternoon Amanda and I decided to walk across the island from where we were anchored, to try and find some beach that had not been picked clean. I reasoned that the more difficult it was to get to, the greater the reward…..extreme shelling…sounded up my street. An hour later it was apparent that we needed some tools to get through the jungle…a compass and machete. We had to abort.

The next day we cut a path through the jungle to some beach that I would doubt any one has ever been on. The boys handled the thick jungle well, and after an hour we arrived at virgin beach. We found some beautiful large cone shells, cowries and others and it was all very rewarding. We tried in another spot to cut through the island but after an hour had to give up. I think we were lucky to get through once.

The downside to extreme shelling is that your body gets pretty scratched up, especially if you happen to be up front with the machete. Not usually an issue, but when your swimming in the lagoon which is rich in coral and coral spores, any scratches soon get seriously infected. 2 days later I was off games and on antibiotics, but Amanda has some great new additions to her collection.

The weather was due to turn again, so we headed up to the North of the island to the village. Here we bought some provisions and had a few meals out as we waited for the winds to swing and return to the trade wind set. After a few days things looked a little settled but brisk and we decided to head off to Toan, the next atoll north. As the wind had been strong there was a lot of water flowing out of the pass and even though we left at slack we had a pretty rough little exit from Fakarava. We sailed gently round to Anse Amyot some 30 miles away, and arrived just before dusk. We dropped the hook and spent a few windy nights at anchor. Lucy Blue and Vagabond heart arrived and we had drinks and dinner on board Pegasus. We set off to Tahiti the following day, as we needed to arrive at least by The 3rd July to buy some presents for Louis' birthday.

I was looking forward to Tahiti. It's of one of those iconic places one dreams of sailing to, and finally on 1st July I could make the log entry "Bound for Tahiti"

Its 220 miles to Tahiti which means a day and a half, so we left early in the morning and sailed in a confused sea out through the atolls. Again we caught good fish, and filled the freezer with Tuna. When we cleared the islands the sea settled down but the wind was strong, and it was a squally, windy night, which kept me on my toes. After a fast passage, passing other sailing boats and some shipping, we saw Tahiti the following morning rising above on the horizon in front of us.

We anchored that afternoon having entered the lagoon at Papaeete, and motored round to Tahina Marina. The marina was full of super yachts and it all felt quite Mediterranean. This anchorage was great for us as there was a huge Carafour supermarket just round the corner, making restocking and servicing the boat an easier task, and the bus into Papaeete was close and apparent. The marina services were also available and there was a great atmosphere in the quayside bars and restaurants.

I think after so long at sea and in the islands we were all looking forward to a bit of civilization. We hadn't been to a city since Panama back at the beginning of April, and the boys were excited about their birthdays. Their key request for their birthdays was a trip to "Old Macdonalds", and, can you imagine, we found one close to the marina and it had its own beach!!!!…..now that really would go down well in Wandsworth!

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