Sunset off Vuda Point
We are still at Vuda Point
Marina, impatiently awaiting the shipment of our new batteries. We can’t leave until they arrive, and at this
point it is still at least 5 or more days away.
We are getting cabin fever and itchy feet to get back sailing, however,
we are making the most of our time here in the marina, getting lots of projects
done and lots of socializing!
The marina features
an outdoor movie night each Wednesday & Saturday night
A barbeque and live
band Sunday afternoon/evening, which we shared with friends.
The resort adjacent
to the marina which is under the same
ownership features live music each night. Our friends Dave & Suzie often
join them after hours.
Dinner on QuickStar
Last week was pretty busy with news and events …it was kick started with
the great news that our son Danny and daughter-in-law Ashley sold their house,
which means that they aren’t carrying two houses at the same time anymore. Danny took this week off work and they are
moving everything out to the Ranch. We
also threw a little birthday party for their daughter, our 2 year old
grandchild Addy. Of course, she was back
in Canada, but that didn’t stop us from pretending we weren’t on the other side
of the world. We sent her a video from
us which is not quite the same as being there ,but we will see her again in
just over a month.
Birthday
celebrations
The annual Melbourne Cup
(major horse race) was celebrated; complete with lots of Aussies and lots of
dressed up folks with fancy hats. We had
a blast, and even came out $6.00 ahead!
The bar that hosted
the Melbourne Cup and the U.S. Elections
The next evening was the U.S.
election and we were all at the bar to watch the close race. Very interesting to share this with all the
Americans. Of course, most of the
cruisers support Obama and marijuana
legislation (a major election item in many states), so they were all very happy
with the results.
Our friends Dave and Suzie
from Sidewinder have finished touching up their keel and rudder (from a few
fights with reefs) and waited patiently to be able to be moved into their
cyclone hole. They are leaving next
weeks to return to California for three months.
Waiting in Fiji
time for their boat to be moved.
Finally….action
Dave & Suzie
beside their boat
The lucky Tequila
bottle to go in the hole with the boat
This is what a
cyclone hole looks like before the boat goes in.
Almost there
Oops…..David, don’t
forget to move before the boat comes all the way down!
The cyclone season has officially
arrived. This was our first storm while
in the marina. We were as snug as a bug
though.
Note the coconut
trees in the background.
View from the stern
of the boat.
We consider ourselves very
lucky and grateful that we made the decision to stay in Fiji over the winter,
rather than head off to New Zealand.
Just over a week ago a fleet of about 10 boats left from Fiji with
another group of about 5 leaving from Tonga.
This is the fleet we would have been with if we had decided to go to New
Zealand.
It was a brutal crossing (and
still not over yet). The boats got caught in a tropical depression. Winds were in excess of 30 knots, with gusts
up to 50 and 60 knots and seas up to 6 metres!
Every boat got beat up to some degree and all of them had to hove-to at
least one night. That means the
conditions are so bad and uncomfortable that you basically stall the boat so it
just bobs up and down. You batten down
all the hatches and retire below and let nature take its course. A very scary situation. We have bee n following the situation closely
listening to the ham radio nets twice a day and all the cruisers are sounding
increasingly exhausted.
In addition to these rough sea
conditions, here is a list of some of the situations for different boats that
still remain at sea with an arrival date expected later today or tomorrow:
-lost propane, which means no
cooking/coffee and the temperatures are getting colder.
-lost the auto-pilot, which
means that this couple has to hand steer in these conditions for the rest of
the 4 days they had left from the time it stopped working.
-got hit by a rogue wave
which slopped lots of saltwater below into the salon and cabins. Their bilge pump is working overtime to try
to clear out the water and they have been able to keep on top of it – although everything
is drenched.
-a single hander broke his
ribs during a sail change. This morning
on the radio he says he is in lots of pain and will be grateful to get in. No
kidding!
The worst situation of all
was the sailboat Windigo which rolled.
Yes, went completely over and wrecked the boat. They called an SOS and a rescue was
coordinated, including one sailboat turning back for 15 hours in this storm to
go to their assistance. The New Zealand
and French navy also sent ships and planes.
A commercial ferry (which we think has our shipment of batteries) stood
off the Windigo for over a day for moral support but were unable to get them
aboard because of the huge seas.
The navy dropped a life raft
from an aircraft and the couple got in it and secured it to the stern of their
boat. They waited until their boat sank
competely before cutting the tether. I
can’t imagine going through this ordeal. The good news is they were rescued. They have sustained head injuries and were
hungry and thirsty, but they are okay.
Yesterday morning there was
another emergency call from a sailboat leaving from Tonga, but we have not heard
the update on that rescue, which is in progress.
As mentioned, we are very
happy that we didn’t make the decision to head to New Zealand this year. We are glad that our cruising friends,
although many limping in, will make it safely.
The marina in New Zealand has organized a large dinner in a couple of days
for the whole fleet so that they can celebrate their arrival.
On another sad note, friends
of ours from Canada lost their Father this week after a tough battle with
ALS. Our hearts go out to them at this
difficult time.
RIP Ron Oldenburger.
Until next week…..Enjoy your
Remembrance Day long weekend.
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