SV Panta Rhei Retirement Trip

Today we rose early and motored in light air west to Viti Levu island and then counterclockwise around the island. There is a reef around the north side of the island that gives a secure passage to the west end of the island. Since that is where the Vuda Point marina is located (where we will leave our boat), we really like discovering this passage. But what about the navigation "rules" for Fiji?. Particularly the one that says you should travel between 10 am and 3 pm on sunny calm days so you can see the coral that obstructs the passages. Well, we've been here since May and I think you can count on one hand the number of days that we could safely move the boat using those rules alone. Today it was overcast and had rain showers. We left early so to pass the shoal obstructed areas during the best possible time but really, we never saw the shoals. We used our electronic charts and waypoints gathered from other cruisers (and Curly from Savusavu). The good news is that the charts ARE pretty good in this part of Fiji and with waypoints to give confidence, navigation worked. There is a whole lot to miss! The passages are convoluted and there are shoals everywhere....but generally not apparent visually. There are spots where waves break, but that depends a lot on the tide. No one can relax on these passages. But tonight we are relaxing at anchor. We barbecued a big steak and ate frozen peas and carrots. We are on a mission to eat the freezer so we can turn it off when we are visiting the Pacific Northwest.

The picture shows Karen with her finger inside a giant clam that is closing. I can report that she still has her finger.