VIANI BAY TO VUDA POINT MARINA

August 22, 2013  Thursday

We have decided that time is getting short if we want to sail to Vanuatu and New Caldonia this season.  Therefore, we scrapped our plans for sailing on to Rabi, Qamea, North and Southern Lau group.  Instead we will sail directly to Musket Cove (17-04.3'S; 177-11.5 E) on the western side of Viti Levu: 230 nm.  This will set us up for checking out and leaving from Lautoka.  Lautoka is on the mainland of Viti Levu near Nadi International airport.  We could easily spend another 2 or 3 seasons here and never see it all.

We weighed anchor in Viani Bay 16-15.0' S; 179-53.2' E) at 0945 and set sail for Musket Cove (17-04.3' S; 177-11.5' E).  The weather forecasts indicated that the winds would be from the NE 15-20 kts.  That would be a downwind sail for a good part of the voyage.  It turned out that there would be no wind for the whole trip and we ended up motoring the 200 nm out of 230 nm.  We have never had to do that before.  My first inclination was to take all sails down and wait for wind but in this part of the South Pacific it can go from slick calm to 25 kts in a very short period of time.

Second day out and the motor bracket for #1 alternator broke so I had to take it off line and, in doing so, found out that the #2 alternator wasn't working.  Plans change:  I decided to go to Vuda Point Marina (17-41.0 S; 177-23.0' E) instead of Musket Cove.  Actually, Musket Cove is about 10 nm west so there wasn't a big course change involved.

Today is Sunday in the Fiji's.  It's still Saturday in the States.  On Monday, I'll start looking around for a welding shop to fix the bracket on #1 Alternator and replace #2 Alternator with a spare one I have aboard.  My good friend, Dan, was wise in insisting that I bring qualified spare parts along while we were in Ft. Lauderdale.  This has turned out to be more than a blessing and saved lots of time and money.

Initial impression of the western part of Viti Levu is that it is completely dedicated to rich tourists and Superyachts.  We did the right thing is staying in the eastern and northern part of Fiji which is far more traditional and remote.  The plan is now to effect repairs and sail for Anatom, Vanuatu: 470 nm to the WSW.

I'll have more to say about this western side of Fiji once we get ourselves sorted out and bus around into Lautoka.