3 July 2009, Vuda Point, Fiji
03/07/2009 0901UTC 17 40.828S 177 23.159E Day 753 Up at 0620, 24C, Partly Cloudy, Wind Calm.
[Our book, Family Voyaging - Ak to nZ, is now available! To access it, go to the Family Voyaging.com website at www.familyvoyaging.com]
The bulk of the cruising people we know left North American two to five years ago with a dream, a plan and a goal. For some, it was the lure of the South Pacific, for others Australia or New Zealand, and a few hoped to circumnavigate the globe. But the realities of long-distance voyaging and the unforgiving nature of the sea have inexorably altered those plans for most voyagers.
Mexico collects the first drop-outs. When we were in La Paz on the lower Baja, we met many people who'd sailed from their home ports in the States or Canada, arrived in Mexico and never left. Some didn't even have boats anymore; they lived ashore but continued to call into the morning cruisers' radio net nonetheless, only vicariously living their dream.
When we dropped anchor in the Marquesas Islands after crossing the Eastern Pacific and Equator, there were additional boats and crews joining the 'never again' club. They quit right there; a month-long ocean crossing did not agree with their pre-passage vision of what it would be like. At other island ports in the South Pacific, attrition collected more of the vessels.
By the time we and others made it to New Zealand, there was a prearranged pause in everyone's cruise, ostensibly to wait out the hurricane season. But by late fall, hard and fast decisions had to be made for the next cruising season, which was rapidly approaching. More boats gave up the ghost.
The survivors, including Wind Dancer, made their decison to press on, with many heading to Fiji or returning to Tonga with plans to go back to New Zealand in the southern spring. Now, though, many crews are realizing that choices for the future are limited. Here they are: yes, one option is to return to NZ and cruise the tropics again next year. Another is to quit, sell the boat and go home. It is possible to sail to the US or Mexico, but it's a hard upwind bash or a long voyage around the Pacific. Some people are shipping their boats back to the States, Mexico or Canada via cargo vessel. And a handful still hopes to 'go on around' by completing a circumnavigation.
For us, the goal was New Zealand. We made it, and continued on with the passage to Fiji. A season of cruising here is icing on the cake. Plans 'A' through 'Z' are still on the drawing board and we have made no final decision. Financial resources coupled with wear and tear on the boat and crew will enter into the direction we take. Getting the book published and sharing this adventure with others has been part of our objective since the beginning. Slowing down for a spell to accomplish that is, we believe, worthwhile.
One of the magnificent aspects of this lifestyle is that we are never forced to answer the question, "What's next?"
"Crew Quarters"
1st Mate: Yesterday we had the thrill of our friends on s/v Meridian coming into Vuda Point Marina. Cabin Girl was so excited and she introduced her new friend Poppy to the other girls and off they went to run around the grass at the yacht club. 2nd Mate worked hard at catching up on school so that when s/v Tin Solider arrives he can run off with Jaryd. Kids love other kids and have an exclusive club built in its own right.
Today Cabin Girl waved goodbye to Poppy, one of the hardships of life as a cruiser. We will see them again along the way and that day will be honored. It becomes a lot like seeing relatives on holidays.
I have been working hard at organizing the last few school lessons so that Cabin Girl can get them done in an orderly fashion. There have been a lot of big projects to complete but we are almost there. It has been awhile since we have had a few months off to just read or play games and not have to get stuff mailed in.
I took the kids to the pool this afternoon and read a bit as well as caught up with Nancy and John from Meridian. John needs to fly home for family health stuff and Nancy plans to watch the boat and the kids in the interim. It is always hard watching the stress and struggle to stop this mode of life to join the real world. I miss my mother so much but am thankful I was home when she passed away and not out here.
Well, it is pizza night and it is cheaper than anything I can cook aboard so I guess we will enjoy ourselves and some company of others and eat inexpensive pizza at the First Landing resort next door. I was told today the dancers would be back and perhaps we can catch them, as last time the show started much too late because the charter boat of guests ended up sitting on the reef, then a mud flat, and finally made it in for the dinner and a show.
2nd Mate: Wildlife seen yesterday and today: sergeant major, Polynesian halfbeak, brushtail surgeonfish, crowned urchin, convict fish.
For the last few days, we've been playing with the kids from Bob after school. As we mentioned on Wednesday, we all went to the pool. That night, Grace and I played a game of Monopoly with Poppy and Ella. Yesterday, we did more school and read a bunch. I've been trying to get my book done as soon as possible because I need to write about it tomorrow.
Today, I woke up around 0600. I attempted to play Runescape, but the stupid Internet was down again. So, I just read until breakfast. Then, we got the table up and started school. I finished my Social Studies lesson on nuclear energy, and my Science lesson on how Earth can be compared with a living organism. I'm now done with Lesson 34.
Then, we got suited up and went to the pool nearby. After about half an hour, the girls from Meridian came by and we swam around. We came back and I did my Math lesson for Lesson 35. It was on geometric solids and how to find the volume of cylinders and rectangular prisms. We're now resting and enjoying the fact that the air temperature has cooled down. We plan to watch 'The Abyss' as our family movie.
Today's Fijian word: rara =3D ceremonial ground.
Cabin Girl: The weather today: partly cloudy, light wind, the high was 29C, the barometer is 1009 and steady, the moon is waxing towards full.
In the last couple of days, the Meridian girls (Maddie and Sophie) came to the marina and Poppy has left. We got all of our new boat parts that we ordered. I am almost done with school ... yeah!
Yesterday, I went to the yacht club with the Meridian girls and Poppy. We played nature girls, animals, and survival. It was fun and mom even came by to buy us an ice cream.
Today, I woke up and had cereal with fresh sliced banana on it. I did school with a short break to play with Poppy before she left. I did social studies, which was about the United States government and the Constitution. I had two science lessons to finish. One was about vertebrates and invertebrates. The other was about plants with stems and plants without. I chose moss and algae and mushrooms and ferns. It was really interesting and I got to draw lots of pictures. I had a short English lesson also.
I went swimming with Maddie and Sophie and Grant. Mom came but didn't swim, and dad joined us later in the pool. Later we are going to have pizza with our friends. I am reading a 'Goosebumps' book and am almost finished. It is really good.
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2 July 2009, Vuda Point, Fiji
02/07/2009 0708UTC 17 40.828S 177 23.159E Day 752 Up at 0605, 24C, Partly Cloudy, Wind SSW 5-10 Knots.
[Above, the local FedEx guy (left) and the Fijian Customs agent who arrived with our package this morning.]
[Our book, Family Voyaging - Ak to nZ, is now available! To access it, go to the Family Voyaging.com website at www.familyvoyaging.com]
The response to our new book and the Family Voyaging.com website has been fantastic. Our thanks to everyone who has taken the time to sign on and start reading. We sincerely appreciate your interest.
As a follow-up to yesterday's blog post, the bicolor navigation light was brought to Wind Dancer before noon today. Here's the last of the shipping trail:
Delivered Vuda Point Marina LAUTOKA FJ
Signed for by: CHRIS BURNS
Shipment Dates:
Ship date - Jun 24, 2009
Delivery date - Jul 2, 2009 11:15 AM
Destination: LAUTOKA FJ
Jul 2, 2009 11:15 AM Delivered LAUTOKA FJ
Jul 2, 2009 8:45 AM Int'l shipment released NADI FJ
Jul 2, 2009 8:30 AM Int'l shipment released NADI FJ
Jul 2, 2009 8:00 AM Clearance in progress NADI FJ
Jul 2, 2009 8:00 AM In transit NADI FJ Package available for clearance
We've had the choice between FedEx, DHL and USPS International Mail for getting parts shipped to us here. But, with Castaway Island, where the movie 'Cast Away' was filmed, just a handful of miles from Vuda Point Marina, we can't resist going the FedEx route. In the film, Tom Hanks plays a gung-ho FedEx exec who ends up on the island after a plane crash. The proximity and irony were just too good to pass up. And, if the parcel got lost, it would almost certainly wash up on the beach.
Navigation light in hand, I stepped away from the laptop for the afternoon to install it. Boat projects always take twice as long, use twice as many tools and cost twice as much than anticipated to complete. This project was no exception. Yesterday I discussed the price, today I got out the two screwdrivers I figured I'd need to hook up the new fixture. It went smoothly, and was on the bow pulpit rail in a matter of minutes. "2nd Mate," I yelled, "turn on the running lights!" He flicked the switch and to my feigned surprise, the light did not illuminate.
So, I started tracing the wires. I'd replaced everything but the last metre of DC twin-lead wire to that light in Whangarei. Sure enough, the connection to that last length of wire was bad. But, of course, it broke off short inside a stanchion tube. Before the light sprang to life four hours later I'd cut, stripped, soldered and sealed four different connections and replaced the bad wires. Tools covered the foredeck, I had a band-aid over the bleeding gash on my starboard wrist and I'd used up today's cussin' quota.
But, the one thing I never lose sight of is that this life is still inherently better than working for a living.
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1 July 2009, Vuda Point, Fiji
01/07/2009 0618UTC 17 40.828S 177 23.159E Day 751 Up at 0610, 24C, Cloudy, Wind SSE 5-10 Knots.
[We are excited and pleased to announce that our new website and the book, Family Voyaging - Ak to nZ, are finally ready for the public.
Access both now at www.familyvoyaging.com
Family Voyaging.com will be the focal point of our online activity, but this blog is an integral part of it and will carry on uninterrupted. We will continue bringing you the daily journal of our family's Voyage of Discovery, while at the same time helping others prepare for their own personal journey.]
A second piece of equipment is on the way, this one ordered from West Marine in the States. In Fiji I could not locate a replacement for Wind Dancer's forward, bi-color (red/green) navigation light, which failed during the passage from New Zealand. Local marine stores have individual red and green fixtures, but at sea when electrical power is always at a premium, I don't want two bulbs burning instead of one.
If your plans call for cruising to foreign ports someday, be aware that shipping items from your home country can be expensive and time consuming. Though we're quite pleased with the expediency of the Fijian FedEx network, it still requires a certain amount of tongue-biting when a part finally arrives. The nav light is a good example. The price at West Marine was about $30US, but shipping to Fiji set us back $60US. Yup, shipping is exactly twice the cost of the item. Fortunately, the fridge compressor/condenser statistics were the other way around, just $300 shipping for a $600 part.
Often there is no alternative. When you have to replace a part to continue voyaging, you just do it. By the way, the best deal in the South Pacific is Pago Pago, American Samoa, which is considered a US domestic mail destination. We ordered and received a batch of stuff there and shipping was no more expensive than if we lived in California.
Then there's Customs. Unless you pay attention, you have to pay duty. But most nations have a special deal for cruisers. If an incoming package is clearly marked 'Yacht in Transit' the duty is waived. It's like that here in Fiji and the other countries we've visited in the South Pacific. Now, that doesn't mean that Customs isn't involved. They came to the boat yesterday along with the FedEx guy. They asked us to open the parcel so they could examine the contents, but that was all. The affable Customs agent mumbled something that sounded like "refrigerator," signed a couple of documents and was on his merry way.
Okay, just for fun, let's follow a package from West Marine International Shipping in North Carolina to Wind Dancer at Vuda Point Marina, Fiji. Here's the tracking so far for our navigation light (latest stop, in Australia, first):
Jun 30, 2009 10:33 AM
In transit
ALEXANDRIA AU
Package available for clearance
Jun 30, 2009 7:28 AM
At dest sort facility
MASCOT AU
Jun 29, 2009 12:47 AM
In transit
HONOLULU, HI
Jun 29, 2009 12:00 AM
In transit
HONOLULU, HI
Jun 27, 2009 11:22 AM
At local FedEx facility
HONOLULU, HI
Jun 26, 2009 4:09 AM
Departed FedEx location
LOS ANGELES, CA
Jun 25, 2009 4:34 PM
Departed FedEx location
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Jun 25, 2009 11:38 AM
Departed FedEx location
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Jun 25, 2009 12:35 AM
Arrived at FedEx location
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Jun 24, 2009 10:17 PM
Left FedEx origin facility
PINEVILLE, NC
Jun 24, 2009 5:30 PM
Picked up
PINEVILLE, NC
Jun 24, 2009 3:54 PM
Shipment information sent to FedEx
When it shows up here, we'll give you the rest of the shipping trail.
"Crew Quarters"
1st Mate: It was a great day. First I managed to get the laundry done. The marina is down to one washer and one dryer. The weather was perfect for hanging sheets and towels. I helped the neighbor, s/v Bob, set-up clotheslines between the trees and we hung our clothes out. Everything was done in just a couple of hours.
Bob is home to the kids' new friends, Poppy and Ella, and their parents Bruce and Nikola. We decided to take a nice walk down the sugar cane train track to the nearby resort, Anchorage Hotel. It was a chance for the kids to swim in a new pool. The walk was beautiful along the seashore and on the railroad tracks. It was lucky for us that no cars came by as the path is narrow and when the cars have the cane aboard it sticks out several meters on each side.
The resort is on the beach and when the tide is high here the breeze runs across the top. Today was the first real strong wind in several days and unlike our marina there is no protection at the resort. It was blowing 15-25k while the kids swam. None of them cared, although the pool ball blew out many times. I enjoyed chatting with Nik as she likes to be called -- the Bob crew is from Whangarei. They have just begun their two year voyage and we had fun exchanging ideas and life views.
All the kids have returned to our boat and are now fully engaged in a game of Monopoly. We plan to join Mike and Liz for 'curry night' at the first landing and I figure if the kids stay here we can always bring them back a pizza.
2nd Mate: Wildlife seen today: squaretail mullet, brushtail surgeonfish, convict fish, sergeant major, rock crab.
Woke up around 0600. I played some on the computer and got my schoolwork out. I ate breakfast and started school. Today, I did Math and English. In Math, I learned how to make an equilateral triangle and a series of concentric circles with a drawing compass. In English, I learned how to write formal, informal, and casual writing and letters.
Then, we got suited up for the pool and met up with the kids from Bob. We walked down to another resort about twenty minutes away from here. To get there, we followed a pair of tracks that are used by the small trains that ship sugar cane to the factory in Lautoka from the fields. We swam for a few hours and walked back. We just came back and are now resting. We plan to watch 'Mulan' tonight as our family movie.
Today's Fijian word: turaga = chief.
Cabin Girl: The weather today: cloudy, moderate wind, the high was 27C, the barometer is 1009 and steady, the moon is waxing towards full.
I woke up and had oatmeal for breakfast. I did school. I did the rest of my health lessons for the year! I also did Science, which was about the freshwater cycle. Then I went to a pool at another resort with Mom, Grant, Poppy, her mom, and her sister Ella. To get to the resort, you have to follow the train tracks for the sugar cane train. Sometimes, the cane hangs over a metre out on each side! There, we played mermaids, chasing Grant, Marco Polo, and gun fight. It was really funny when Mom's chair broke twice. Then the wind blew around some of the cushions on the lawn chairs. We shared a Sprite bottle and ate lamb meatballs before we came home.
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