SV Panta Rhei Retirement Trip

The good news is that we have very good weather forecasting, which ought to help us survive this adventure. The bad news is that because of the weather forecast, the adventure part has had to be postponed. And so we sit, HOT, sweaty, a little bored, but still alive and kicking.

There is a weather system moving through Fiji now. It brings very rough seas and 45 knot winds and torrential rain. It's not directly over us, but it's influence is being felt substantially enough to get our attention. Some of our friends left in front of this weather system. Now they are somewhere in remote anchorages sitting it out. Other friends are enroute from NZ. That is somewhat worrisome. It's actually very worrisome, but not directly for us. We'll listen in on the ssb for them but that is a whole lot lower risk profile than they will experience. We are sitting it out in town while tied to a mooring. Call us timid.

Now maybe timid needs a little explanation. While in the bar with friends last night, we heard tales of lobster gathering on south Minerva and large fish spearing in the pass on Sawarrow. As it turns out, friends Alfredo and Alicia on SV Onverra were the story tellers on this evening. Alfredo gathers lobsters in surf on the weather side of the reef. He gets lots of them, but few others can match his feat. The surf pounds them against the reef and shreds their wetsuits (or skin). There was plenty of beer so we got lots more than one story! They walked the length of south Island NZ this summer on something akin to the Appalacian trail. That is a VERY long hike. In another story, they speared large fish in the pass on Sawarrow. We have been to Sawarrow so we have a special appreciation for this story (which takes place in the entrance pass where we would not swim due to aggressive sharks). They rigged a method for passing the spear line to a dinghy after shooting the fish thinking that the ubiquitous grey sharks would follow the fish. Instead the sharks came for them and they were fighting them off by hand. One grey shark bit off Alfredo's fin and was up between his legs while Alfredo pounded him with his fists. It sounds unbelievable, but once you meet Alfredo,....not so unbelievable. All this was done on snorkel alone and as deep as 40 feet. And while I am listening to the stories I am looking at Alfredo who was burned by boiling water while cooking the lobster on south Minerva and who damaged his right hand trying to save the boat during the 40 knot lightning squall. They did save the boat, but I doubt I could have done it. They lost the anchor during the storm but retrieved it after the storm. And then there was another story about ciguaterra poisoning while far away from any help. How would you do incapacitated while your boat desperately needed your assistance?

So, you think that they must be young, right? Alfredo is 65! As it turns out he and Alicia have been cruising or more than 20 years. Alicia is a younger but very capable sailor. We will never be in their league, but we will be in awe.

The picture is of Alicia and Alfredo.