Hello All,
We have been under sail now for the last 19 hours. Wind has been a steady 15 knots. At this rate we should reach Tanna Island, Vanuatu by noon on Friday. It has been a while since I have made a passage and this one started off with the engine, not ideal for a sailboat, but is making up for it now.
Everyone has settled into little routines on the boat so as to pass the time.
All is well for now so I will talk to you soon.
PEACE
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
18 25.00S 174 40.02E
Hello All,
We had flat calm weather all yesterday afternoon so I have been running the engine. The good news is the wind has picked up this morning and is coming out of the south so at first light we will get the sails up and get back to being a sailboat. The engine will have run since we got out to open sea 28 hours which is not to bad but it's not over yet. The weather forecast didn't call for this until day after tomorrow so it is a nice surprise.
There has been no surprises so far and Rafal and Paula are doing an awesome job. We are eating well and actually sleeping, so all is well.
I will talk to you later.
PEACE
We had flat calm weather all yesterday afternoon so I have been running the engine. The good news is the wind has picked up this morning and is coming out of the south so at first light we will get the sails up and get back to being a sailboat. The engine will have run since we got out to open sea 28 hours which is not to bad but it's not over yet. The weather forecast didn't call for this until day after tomorrow so it is a nice surprise.
There has been no surprises so far and Rafal and Paula are doing an awesome job. We are eating well and actually sleeping, so all is well.
I will talk to you later.
PEACE
18 12.18S 176 22.85S
Bula Bula!
We got checked out of Fiji at noon yesterday and headed out of the Country. We had to motor for 5 hours to get out of the pass and we got the sails set once we got to sea. The wind was light but enough to keep us moving at a good pace. At 0200 this morning the wind let up and we were forced to start the engine. I am hoping it will fill in some today so we can get back to sailing again.
Everyone is doing fine on board and all is well.
I will write more when I get a chance, I am on watch right now and was to cheep to buy an auto pilot to steer the boat under engine only.
Talk to you soon.
PEACE
We got checked out of Fiji at noon yesterday and headed out of the Country. We had to motor for 5 hours to get out of the pass and we got the sails set once we got to sea. The wind was light but enough to keep us moving at a good pace. At 0200 this morning the wind let up and we were forced to start the engine. I am hoping it will fill in some today so we can get back to sailing again.
Everyone is doing fine on board and all is well.
I will write more when I get a chance, I am on watch right now and was to cheep to buy an auto pilot to steer the boat under engine only.
Talk to you soon.
PEACE
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Checking out in Lautoka
Bula All,
We made it over to Lautoka at 1530 from Musket Cove. We got to sail most of the way so I got to show the new crew how the boat sails and they did awesome. We had a great time at Musket, I saw heaps of cruisers there that I have met at Vuda Point, seems we all decided to go there on the same weekend which was cool. We took the boat out to a sand bar Island not far from the anchorage at low tide and did some snorkeling and swimming around, fun had by all.
I met a few more new friends while hanging out in Vuda, Mike a retired airline pilot out of Seattle showed up last week on a beautiful 29 foot Bristol Channel Cutter Flyer and Andy and Paul from Australia on there 44 foot boat, Wanderlust, Andy had some work to do on his boat while at Vuda so he borrowed some tools and the Generator a few times. They are really nice guys and I was happy to help them out.
We are all checking out of the country tomorrow so it looks like customs will be busy. There are a few boats here, some going to Vanuatu and one going to New Zealand. I need to get Rafal and Paula on my crew list tomorrow so we will be busy with immigration first thing in the morning.
Fiji has been an awesome place to visit but I am looking forward to Vanuatu, I have been told by so many cruisers that it is very nice and a must see so I am already there.
As usual I will keep you updated on the passage to Vanuatu and I am looking forward to being on the sea again.
P.S. Paula has an underwater camera so be prepared to see me and the fishes in the next photo update.
PEACE
P.S.S. Rick will be leaving Fiji today, Sunday, August 28th, in the US. Of course it is Monday in Fiji.
We made it over to Lautoka at 1530 from Musket Cove. We got to sail most of the way so I got to show the new crew how the boat sails and they did awesome. We had a great time at Musket, I saw heaps of cruisers there that I have met at Vuda Point, seems we all decided to go there on the same weekend which was cool. We took the boat out to a sand bar Island not far from the anchorage at low tide and did some snorkeling and swimming around, fun had by all.
I met a few more new friends while hanging out in Vuda, Mike a retired airline pilot out of Seattle showed up last week on a beautiful 29 foot Bristol Channel Cutter Flyer and Andy and Paul from Australia on there 44 foot boat, Wanderlust, Andy had some work to do on his boat while at Vuda so he borrowed some tools and the Generator a few times. They are really nice guys and I was happy to help them out.
We are all checking out of the country tomorrow so it looks like customs will be busy. There are a few boats here, some going to Vanuatu and one going to New Zealand. I need to get Rafal and Paula on my crew list tomorrow so we will be busy with immigration first thing in the morning.
Fiji has been an awesome place to visit but I am looking forward to Vanuatu, I have been told by so many cruisers that it is very nice and a must see so I am already there.
As usual I will keep you updated on the passage to Vanuatu and I am looking forward to being on the sea again.
P.S. Paula has an underwater camera so be prepared to see me and the fishes in the next photo update.
PEACE
P.S.S. Rick will be leaving Fiji today, Sunday, August 28th, in the US. Of course it is Monday in Fiji.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Breaking in new crew
Hello All,
My Polish crew got in 2 days ago so we have been visiting and getting them familiar with the boat. They are a young married couple, Rafal and Paula and we have been having a good time so far. We will be heading for Musket Cove today and spend the weekend there and if weather is good we will check out of the country Monday.
I will write again when we get over to Musket and let you know how it goes.
I am busy so I will talk to you soon.
PEACE
My Polish crew got in 2 days ago so we have been visiting and getting them familiar with the boat. They are a young married couple, Rafal and Paula and we have been having a good time so far. We will be heading for Musket Cove today and spend the weekend there and if weather is good we will check out of the country Monday.
I will write again when we get over to Musket and let you know how it goes.
I am busy so I will talk to you soon.
PEACE
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Looking around the yard
Hello All,
I thought I would give you a quick view of basically whats right in front of my boat. The marina here at Vuda is a big circle and is surrounded by the boat yard. I got out the camera today and took pictures of Tom and Colleens ,Mokisha ,getting painted and a 64 foot 40 ton beauty , Regina, owned by a guy originally from Israel but lives in Australia now. His name is Denny and a really nice guy. He has a paid crew and has been here 10 months so the crew is really getting excited to move on to Australia. I have made friends with one of the crew. He is a young guy from Tunisia, North Africa. They hauled out Regina Saturday and have worked through the weekend to get bottom paint on. The travel lift has to stay over it because of the 2 wind generators on the stern so Denny hired 6 Fijians to get it done and back in the water tomorrow. She is ketch rigged (2 masts) and Denny tells me that at 25 knots wind on a beam reach she does 12 knots, WOW. and then there is me, I get so many complements of this tough little double ender.
Ok I will post the pics now, enjoy.
Dinner with the yachties
Hello All,
I was invited to have dinner along with several other cruising couples for dinner tonight. Tom and Colleen on (Mokisha) prepared an awesome dinner for us. They have been living on there boat on the hard while it has been worked on but there in the final stages of a brand new paint job so they had to move and found a nice little villa on the beach by First Landing Resort for a few days while work gets done. We had a great time visiting and I talked to a few that have been to Vanuatu so I got a pretty good idea on what to expect.
Speaking of dinners and visits I failed to mention that my neighbors, an Israeli couple, Zulu and his wife Miri threw me a going away party last Sunday. I thought I was leaving remember, anyway, they have been so nice to me and are the best folks you could meet. I told Miri Monday I wasn't leaving yet and she told me, Its ok Rick we will throw you another one. Nice to know your loved by people you hardly know and so far from home.
I have been checking in with my new crew and they are in Perth Australia at the moment and enjoying what they can see in the short time they will be there. I have arranged Abdul, the local taxi driver here to take me to the airport to meet them, you know I have been here to long when you know every ones name , anyway, they will be on the boat the the night of the 24th and I think we will go out to Musket Cove for a night or 2, there is good snorkeling and will get them used to the way the boat works.
In hindsight and something I haven't given a whole lot of thought about until now is, not only have I met the indigence people from the Islands but have had crew from, Germany, Britain, Basque (North of Spain South of France)New Zea lander, Finish, Quebec Canada, France and now Poland. It is so awesome to get to know these people and there cultures. I feel apart from the rest of the crowd because I havent had the comfort in knowing that my crew knows where I am from. Makes it interesting all the way around. How many people can say they have a friend in all of these countries. I am looking forward to the future.
If the weather looks good we will be out of the Country by the 28th Woo Hoo.
That's all for now.
PEACE
I was invited to have dinner along with several other cruising couples for dinner tonight. Tom and Colleen on (Mokisha) prepared an awesome dinner for us. They have been living on there boat on the hard while it has been worked on but there in the final stages of a brand new paint job so they had to move and found a nice little villa on the beach by First Landing Resort for a few days while work gets done. We had a great time visiting and I talked to a few that have been to Vanuatu so I got a pretty good idea on what to expect.
Speaking of dinners and visits I failed to mention that my neighbors, an Israeli couple, Zulu and his wife Miri threw me a going away party last Sunday. I thought I was leaving remember, anyway, they have been so nice to me and are the best folks you could meet. I told Miri Monday I wasn't leaving yet and she told me, Its ok Rick we will throw you another one. Nice to know your loved by people you hardly know and so far from home.
I have been checking in with my new crew and they are in Perth Australia at the moment and enjoying what they can see in the short time they will be there. I have arranged Abdul, the local taxi driver here to take me to the airport to meet them, you know I have been here to long when you know every ones name , anyway, they will be on the boat the the night of the 24th and I think we will go out to Musket Cove for a night or 2, there is good snorkeling and will get them used to the way the boat works.
In hindsight and something I haven't given a whole lot of thought about until now is, not only have I met the indigence people from the Islands but have had crew from, Germany, Britain, Basque (North of Spain South of France)New Zea lander, Finish, Quebec Canada, France and now Poland. It is so awesome to get to know these people and there cultures. I feel apart from the rest of the crowd because I havent had the comfort in knowing that my crew knows where I am from. Makes it interesting all the way around. How many people can say they have a friend in all of these countries. I am looking forward to the future.
If the weather looks good we will be out of the Country by the 28th Woo Hoo.
That's all for now.
PEACE
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