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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08/21/2011

I pulled the lapper off the roller furling to mend. I suppose I should have dug out the sewing machine ahead of time, but it had been working so nicely.....who would have thought that it would be otherwise! Well The sail is draped over everything inside while I am slowly hand sewing the UV cover back on. Between a bit of chafing and going to windward, the stitching has pulled out of the hem. I feel lucky that there are no rips, but this little project that I estimated would take 20 minutes tops.....well....now the new finish date will be this week sometime.....I hope! So, are you still wondering what I do with all that "spare time"?

I really can't complain too much as this machine (Ultrafeed Zig-Zag) from Sailrite) has performed well for the last 16 years or so! I will be ordering the exact machine again....hoping for another 15 years! By the way, Sailrite has been a great company to work with over the years.

It is more costly to send the sewing machine back to the states for repairs than it will be to order a new one. shipping anything over seas is very expensive and this machine weighs over 40 lbs. I estimate just the shipping one way will be in the $300-$400 range.

Chuck is enjoying his visit back in Alaska. I'm not sure he's going to "enjoy" carting a new sewing machine back to Fiji....!!!!

2011 Back to Fiji...Part II

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08/14/2011, Savusavu

I created a new album of photos from the Marshall Islands. Unfortunately, I had a major computer crash and my town photos of Majuro are gone. Maybe we will have to go back for more pics!
This photo is from Savusavu, Fiji taken last week!

2011 Back to Fiji...Part II

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08/14/2011, Savusavu

This is a photo of kids out on their billi-billi.

We gave up on the weather. Chuck really needs to return to Alaska. I looked around on-line and found a good deal on some plane tickets....so.....This is the new plan.
Chuck leaves for Alaska tomorrow. I will stay here and catch up on some boat chores. I am also hoping to catch up on some of my writing projects. We are also researching another change of plans which may very well include a return passage to New Zealand for cyclone season. I am working on the paperwork involved for Pearl's quarantine. The situation for pets is rapidly changing to the benefit of our furry family members. New Zealand just started a 10 day quarantine procedure for yachts arriving from the South Pacific. It isn't cheap, but it will be worth the effort, especially if our long term plans include Australia. There is not quarantine between those two countries. The passage will be interesting to say the least, but it may make the most sense for us to be able to spend time in Australia, where the quarantine would otherwise be much more involved.
As everyone knows, the piracy situation in the Indian Ocean has dramatically deteriorated. We were really looking forward to a westward passage, but have decided to cruise exclusively in the Pacific instead. We are looking at a leisurely voyage back to Alaska via Australia and Southeast Asia. Hopefully enough time will pass so that much of the Japanese debris from the tsunami has sunk before we travel from Japan to Alaska. We actually considered traveling back to North America from the Marshall Islands, but with the situation in Japan, we decided to postpone those plans.
The life of a cruiser....making plans and changing them as the natural world dictates.

2011 Back to Fiji...Part II

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