10/08/2011, Savusavu

I vividly recall saying that I never wanted to do the passage to New Zealand again. I think we were hove to, about 500 miles between Fiji and New Zealand. Well, we have made up our minds about where to spend South Pacific cyclone season. You guessed it. We will be sailing back to New Zealand. This decision was a difficult one for several reasons. The passage is no picnic, the Kiwi dollar has strengthened even more since we were last there, and the quarantine paperwork and expenses for the dog are challenging. With that said, we really loved New Zealand and we both regret not being able to spend more time touring the country. We hope that this year we will be able to better balance a trip to South Island with boat projects.
Chuck is back from Alaska. He had a great time visiting family, but a sad time after five funerals. He admits that he is ready to warm up.
We are busy now preparing the boat. We will be heading for Suva this week, depending on the weather. We need to get some paperwork signed by the government veterinarian. After that, we will be preparing for the New Zealand passage.

2011 Back to Fiji...Part II

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10/07/2011, Labasa

These are photos we had permission to take of a lovely temple near. Labasa.

2011 Back to Fiji...Part II

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10/06/2011, Labasa

Temple Photo.

2011 Back to Fiji...Part II

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10/06/2011, Labasa

Devotees state that the cobra rock is growing. They have added an addition to the roof to accommodate this phenomena.

2011 Back to Fiji...Part II

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10/06/2011, Labasa

Temple Photo. The priest with his bells.

2011 Back to Fiji...Part II

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10/06/2011, Labasa

Photo inside the temple.

2011 Back to Fiji...Part II

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10/06/2011, Labasa

Temple Photo.

2011 Back to Fiji...Part II

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09/18/2011

I have been neglecting the blog because I have no new adventures to write about. I am still in Savusavu. Chuck is back in Alaska. He will be back in just a couple of weeks now. He is enjoying being back home visiting friends and family.

We are so lucky to have little Ryder Joe in our world now. She is our first and only grand baby! Chuck reports that she is an angel. I can't wait to meet her too! That is our great news.

Sad to say, I ruined our house batteries. Learn from my mistake. Always keep a close eye on the water levels. Our batteries are located in a hard-to-reach location down in the bottom of the quarter berth. Unfortunately the quarter berth has been the "black hole" where we keep our safety gear and a huge assortment of other stuff. It took an hour to two just to get to the batteries, so I neglected them. This sure was an expensive mistake. I cleaned out the quarter berth, we now have access within five minutes! Ok, I know; I know! The ole' barn door is now closed after the livestock got loose. So, I am busy figuring out how to find batteries in Fiji.
Our wind generator also decided to quit. I managed to trouble shoot with the Air Breeze company. It looks like the circuit board packed up. This worked out to be an easy fix. Chuck has the new one now stashed in his luggage.
I do have good news though. We figured out why our autopilot was giving us troubles. An electrician here discovered a bad relay. That should be fixed this week!
I am also busy varnishing the trim in the galley, that is until I discovered the varnish is not drying in this humidity! Oh well. I guess I will just have to find another boat project. Lucky for me, we have lots!

2011 Back to Fiji...Part II

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