.: A sad week for the international cruising community

QuickStar under the rainbow at Blue Lagoon (photo credit – Riki on sv Guava Jelly)

This past week was a very sad one for the international cruising community. For us personally we came way too close to our first serious accident (this season). We were leaving Blue Lagoon to head north up to the Yasawa island group. Due to the fact that the Fiji charts are notoriously lacking, we were using the waypoints provided by another sailboat. About an hour into our trip, the skies closed in with a dark storm approaching and we no longer had any visibility through this reef strewn area. We kept going for a few more minutes until Peter decided it wasn’t safe to make the trip under these conditions so we returned to Blue Lagoon.

What a storm looks like as it is approaching

The next morning we set off again with clear skies. Once we left the channel we were heading directly to the next waypoint (on our GPS). At the last second, Peter saw that our course was going to take us right on to a reef, which was now fairly visible. He was able to veer in time to avoid hitting it. This whole incident was very, very sobering because if we had of continued the day prior, we would have, without a doubt, hit the reef and had a disastrous situation due to the darkness and sea conditions.

Australian friends of our John and LeAnne from RedSky were badly damaged during the cyclone in December, to the tune of over $80,000 (they were in the same marina we were in, and they were onboard their boat during this Cat. 5 cyclone named Evan) While John was overseeing the team repairing their boat, LeAnne went to a Yoga instructors retreat in Bali for 6 week. She just returned about 3 weeks ago, with what she thought was a Bali belly (most of her classmates contracted the same stomach ailments). This was also confirmed by a nurse on one of the out islands.

Anyway, to make a long story short when the pain became even more severe they rushed back from the Yasawa’s and called their doctor in Australia. She insisted that Leanne get an ultrasound to make sure she didn’t have a blood clot and then to catch the first flight home. Once she arrived, she was immediately admitted and operated on for a ruptured appendix. The doctor said she has never seen such a severe case including infection. (On a side note, many cruisers opt to have their appendix removed before they set out, since a ruptured appendix on a crossing could have fatal results).

As of yesterday, Leanne has still not been released from hospital, and once she does the doctor insists she cannot return to Fiji for at least 2 – 3 weeks after she is fully recovered. John is batching it once again here in Fiji and he misses his first mate very much.

Then to top off their streak of bad luck, he was robbed the night before last while anchored just outside of Port Denereau. (where we currently are). He had locked up his boat to go out for the evening and when he returned, he noticed that one of his hatches had been pried open and discovered all his computers, camera’s, electronics were gone. The thieves couldn’t figure out how to turn on the lights so they used matches and left behind umpteen burned matches that they just dropped throughout the boat. Very lucky they didn’t start a fire. They did leave behind a souvenir – a machete that they must have forgotten when they left. Needless to say, had John been onboard, they may have put the machete to use.

In another incident, a blind sailor accompanied by a sighted crewman left Japan last week to sail to California to raise awareness for tsunami victims. When they were 800 miles out from Japan they hit what is believed to be a large piece of flotsam. The boat sank. Luckily they were able to activate their EPIRB (an emergency device that sets off their exact location). Both sailors made it into their life raft and were rescued by the Japanese air force.

Another sailing story may not end as well. The classic schooner Nina set off from New Zealand to Australia at the end of May. There are seven persons aboard, including the owners and their 17 year old son who was completing this voyage and doing a documentary before he headed off for college this fall. One of the crew members lives in Fiji with her husband (who is active in the morning radio network) aboard their boat in Savu Savu. She is also the aunt of our friend Riki's (sv Guava Jelly) girlfriend. Riki’s girlfriend is coming out in a month to cruise with Riki and also visit her aunt. All of us here in Fiji have been following this very closely and hope each morning to hear that Nina is safe and sound.

Sadly, the authorities now believe the worst has happened. For the past two days the navy has been searching and there is simply no trace of Nina who should have arrived June 4. They did have a lifeboat and an EPIRB, but that was never set off. The search has now been called off and the consensus is that they must have met with a catastrophic failure and are believed to be sunk with no survivors. Very, very sad.

These situations remind all of us that the sea is stronger than any of us. We can only remain respectful and keep safety a number one priority, but ultimately we are not in control. In some ways, this is a very freeing concept. With this in mind, we are planning on crossing over the sea later this week from Fiji to Vanuatu. The trip is expected to take 4 nights. We are almost ready and will simply wait for a favourable weather window. Once we are out at sea, we will not have internet access, but if we are able to get ham radio reception I will post to the blog each day with our progress. If you would like to follow a crossing in real time, you can check in on the blog on Monday when I will confirm our actual departure date. Keep in mind that communication is not always possible, so if I’m unable to post, this is not cause for alarm.

Due to the length of this post, I’ll just include a few photos from last week.

View of QuickStar and Guava Jelly on Yasawa Island. (photo by Riki from atop the peak)

Sunset at Musket Cove

Pink Ocean

Our last barbeque at Musket with David and Suzie from Sidewinder

Now for my rant about how cell phones are replacing the art of socializing and communication. This group were seated next to us at the Island Bar. For the ENTIRE time – through dinner and drinks, this gal was using her phone. No words were exchanged with or by her. Still can’t believe anyone would come to this paradise and not be “present” with her surroundings and friends. Okay..rant over.

P.S. On a very positive note, I would like to congratulate our daughter Kylie who completed a very challenging first year of teaching in a native reservation in Northern Alberta. She is now safely back with her husband in their first home in Ashcroft, B.C. So proud of both of them for making the sacrifices necessary to achieve this goal and also thrilled that they will be so much closer when we return to Silver Star this winter. xoxox

Happy Canada Day Weekend to our friends and family back home.