Have arrived safely in Fiji, the island of Viti Levu, capital city of Suva in the Bay of Islands. Difficult conditions the last night before entering the harbor - big winds and breaking following seas and Shearwater, happy as could be and refusing to slow down!

I can only attribute it to my toast when crossing the international dateline. I think I made the egregious mistake of NOT offering champagne to the god(and I didnt know which one) but instead offered my best whiskey. For...at the exact moment of the toast, the boat was lurched to the side by a rogueish wave, the biggest such lurching to date, autopilot was kicked off and from that point on, I had tough seas for 12 hours until I got into the harbor.

Im staying with a friend of mine, musician, lawyer and ...well, a real renaissance man - even conducts the Fiji Choir! - Juris

Next time, Champagne!