02/06/2012, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji
Yes, that's right, we can see the SUN!!! It's pretty much the first time in over two weeks that it has shown down on our little corner of Fiji. We're between storms with cyclone Jasmine to our west and two tropical depressions to our east. One of them hit the north island of Fiji instead of slamming into us.
As of now, the forecasters are saying that cyclone Jasmine will skirt Vanuatu and New Caledonia making a mess of both islands. After that pass, it is supposed to head more southward by passing Fiji. I expect that we will still feel some of the wind and a bit of the rain that comes with it but no where near the high winds that she's packing now. They show gusts to 100 knots.
We're heading into town today to get Tracy's visa expended and buy more food. Yesterday was Mohammeds birthday so everything was closed down all over the island. Even the busses were not running. Lots of the cruisers in the marina are headed in to town now that there is a brake in the weather. I'll be wearing my hat and sunglasses for a change.
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02/04/2012, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji
Here comes the wind. The rain has let up a bit for now but we have some winds coming through the marina. Not bad but we will be watching our lines as we bob from side to side as the wind hits our port(north) side pushing us around. We are set up to allow us to make it to the dock but with still a nice 2 to 3 foot step so we aren't too close allowing the stern to hit it. It's a guessing game with the lines. Let out too much and you might hit the dock. Let out to little and you can't get off the back.
So, again, here we sit. It's Sunday so no busses run into town so we're marina locked till tomorrow. We have to head to Lautoka tomorrow no matter the weather as Tracy's visa expires on the 17th and it takes a while to get the extension that she needs. Since I was in the US for the first two weeks of November, mine expires on the 12th of March. With the extension, that gives us till mid April when we will need to leave the country so we can get another visa upon our return. You can't stay here indefinitely. It's the rules.
We'll see how the weather shapes up this afternoon. With luck, we might actually see the Sun but we're not counting on it.
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02/03/2012, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji
Well, as the weather report at the top says, it's still raining. We got up early this morning and took advantage of two things--the rain had stopped and the wind had stopped also. We wanted to get the large genoa sail down and off and stowed before the next tropical depression comes in. The local radio station is calling for people to stock up on food and to buy some candles. While the local stores may love this(more money in the drawer), the rest of us have a bit of work to do to get ready. We already have food and with our batteries, we are quite self contained on a boat. The winds are forecast for about 40 knots(if you believe them) and lots more rain. Two depressions are set to be in the Fiji area in the next few days. The first is no big deal(just lots more rain) but the second may turn into a cyclone and pass right over Fiji. No one is willing to make that call yet as Mother Nature will tell us in her own sweet time.
We headed out to the bow and took down the tarp we have there to keep the Sun off the deck. It's been two weeks since we have really seen the Sun so no problem getting it down. We took down the spinnaker pole that supported it and stowed it away on the life lines. We clipped some wires that keep different shackles closed and loosened the line that held the sail up and down it came nice and easy. We stretched the sail out on the deck so we could fold it and get it in the bag and put it in a somewhat dry location. Now we are all clear on the bow. If this does turn into a cyclone with all it's big winds, we will need to take the other two tarps down as well as the dodger that covers the cockpit. All this can be done in under a hour so we should have no problems getting the rest down and stowed.
The last thing we will have to do is loosen the lines(3/4" lines attached to chains attached to railroad rails driven into the ground) that keep us attached to shore and tighten up the bow lines to pull us safely away from the concrete walls of the marina. I still haven't gotten to Lautoka to pick up the new lines we've ordered for the bow but Monday is coming. If it really turns nasty, I'll be pulling out the chain that's used on our second(now third anchor) and attaching it to our back up anchor line and taking it out to the middle of the marina and attaching it to the center weight. Then, if the winds really get going, all we have to do is pull in on that anchor line and we will be very safely away for everything.
It's all in the planning. It pays to be prepared. Even if this one doesn't turn cyclonic, if the next ones that come along do, we will still be ready.
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02/02/2012, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji
It pays to be vigilant even when you are sitting in a marina. Vuda Point Marina out here in Fiji is a set up in a circular fashion with all the boats backed up to the concrete walls that make up the marina. Then lines are led ashore, normally with a length of chain attached that fasten to railroad track that has been driven into the ground behind the walls of the marina. The bow lines are taken forward and while some are attached to a huge circular weight on the bottom with a buoy on the surface, many, like ours and our neighbors boats are tied to lines that come off the center weight instead of being attached straight to the center weight. This afternoon, as the wind and rain howled through the marina, we saw one of our neighbors(two boats over) on the bow of his boat. Apparently, the line that came off the weight that his starboard bow line was attached to broke(for the second time since we have been here)! He only had one line left to hold his boat from crashing into the concrete walls of the marina. It was still blowing and raining as he sat on his bow waiting for the marina foreman to come out in his dingy and straighten out the problem and take another line out to the middle. Not only did the broken line go to his boat, it also went to his neighbors boat, a huge state of the art carbon fiber catamaran that I would hate to guess how much it cost. The folks on the third boat over from us, had one of their crew dive into the water and swim out with a line as soon as one of his lines came loose. Now we had a person swimming in the water in the marina as well as the foreman driving his dingy around trying to get every one fixed. Please keep in mind that this was not a wind of cyclone velocity but a wind of maybe 20 knots! While I'm planning on putting new lines on our bow this next week, I think I'll take my spare anchor chain and rode and attach it to the weight out in the center. This way, should a big cyclone come, I won't have to rely on the marinas lines, most of which have been under water and used by other boats for the last 10+ years. Better safe than sorry should a serious wind crop up.
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02/02/2012, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji
Well, we just got the announcement that there is another cyclone or cyclone in the making on it't way toward Fiji. It's still well west of us but is due to become an official cyclone on Sunday and hit us by Tuesday. At least that is what the people "in the know" are saying now on the radio. The "national" website--Fiji Met-- is holding back a bit and is waiting for the storm to make up it's mind and then they will issue the proper warnings.
Once those warning are up, we'll be taking down the tarps, tying lines around the mainsail and the genoa will be coming down and put in storage. The dodger(protects the cockpit) will be taken off as well as it would end up being a wind scoop if the winds gets to where they think it might get. We'll be loosening the stern lines(held to shore by chains) and pulling ourselves farther out into the middle of the marina basin. I'm sure other here will be doing the same should this storm really come to full power. One thing about the storms out here is their unpredictability. The arrival of a sudden high or low front can throw off all precious predictions which is what happened to the last few storms that were slated to hit us.
Meanwhile, with all this up in the air, most of the tourist boats that ply the waters around here have moved into the marina either tied up in what slots are left or are being pulled from the water and set on tires along side all the other boats that have been in storage for the last few months. It comes down to a waiting game for all of us. We just want to be sure we are as prepared as we can be before the full brunt of the storms gets here--if it gets here.
Stay tuned for updates as they happen. The picture at the top is what the expected forecast is for placement of the storms for tomorrow. Two are on the way.
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Just wanted to let you know that I have been reading your blog for a long time and really enjoy it. Keep it up. We live in Westmeath, Ontario Canada
02/02/2012, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji
Well, it's still raining. I haven't measured our bucket but will later when it stops raining. The storm is coming in from the northwest with a 100% chance of rain today according to the weather man out here. Gee tough call. We did see a bit of blue sky for a few minutes last evening and even three stars on our walk back to Zephyr after the cruisers Thursday night pizza night get together. Every Thursday, all the cruisers(or just about all the cruisers) get together at either "First Landing"(a resort next door to the marina) or "The Boat Shed, the main restaurant here at the marina for fun, food(and drink of course) and to swap stories. We tend to swap back and forth between the two restaurants. Fun to get out of the boat during the rain that just keeps on coming and to talk to each other. Being boat bound during these storms get old.
Yesterday afternoon, during a break in the rain, I had George(manages all the boats in the marina) come over in his dingy and we restrung line off the starboard forward side of Zephyr so we had one long line instead of a gaggle of three lines all tied together. The last setup had the line ending where it comes through the side at the bow. There was a knot there that wouldn't allow us to pull in on the line as the hole through the side was too small. Now we can easily put the line on the windlass and crank it in pulling Zephyrs stern away from the concrete walls of the marina. We will leave the lines a bit loose during the day so we can pull Zephyr back to be able to get off from the stern. Not close enough to hit the wall but close enough to allow us a way to get off. In the evening, once we know we won't be getting back off, we'll pull in the lines at the bow just to make sure we have plenty of clearance at the stern. We like our rudder as well as our Hydrovane and want to keep them in one piece.
So here we continue to sit waiting for a break in the weather. When we do get a lull in the rain, we have been leaving for at least a walk to get some exercise and fresh air. Cabin fever sucks.
Post script: the rain let up for a few minutes and I ventured out to check the rain bucket. Just about 9 inches of rain since Monday(it's Friday now here). better than two inches a day! Now that's rain!
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