08 November 2008 | Vuda Point Marina, Fiji
30 October 2008 | Waya Island, Yasawa Group, Fiji
29 October 2008 | Drawaqa Island, Yasawa Islands, Fiji
23 October 2008 | Somo somo Bay, Yasawa Islands, Fiji
21 October 2008 | Blue Lagoon, Yasawa Islands, Fiji
16 October 2008 | Blue Lagoon, Yasawa Islands, Fiji
14 October 2008 | Sawa-i-lau, Yasawa Islands, Fiji
12 October 2008 | Musket Cove, Fiji
09 October 2008 | Vuda Point Marina
11 September 2008 | Vuda Point, Fiji
03 September 2008 | Musket Cove, Fiji
29 August 2008 | Suva
26 August 2008 | Nadi, Fiji
21 August 2008 | Lautoka, Fiji
20 August 2008 | In transit to Fiji
16 August 2008 | Uoleva, Haapai Group, Tonga
11 August 2008 | Lifuka, Haapai Group, Tonga
07 August 2008 | Haafeva, Haapai Group, Tonga
01 August 2008 | Nukualofa

Balloons!

16 October 2008 | Blue Lagoon, Yasawa Islands, Fiji
Surprise
Balloons!

Balloons are a very big hit with the local kids. They tie a piece of coconut twine to them and then run after them in the breeze. What fun to watch.

Yesterday the ladies of the village opened their "market" at 10am for the Admiral's perusal, an hour we had agreed on the day before. The "market" is 6 ladies under a tree, each with a 6' X 8' piece of cloth upon which they lay their wares. Much of it comes from the large market in Lautoka, but some of the items are local craft. The Admiral was careful to select something from each. After the market we met the Mayor, and when I asked him why we had not been directed to him to do sevusevu, he said we should have been, but that it was not our fault, it was his problem to solve. Sounds like tribal discipline is going to hell.

It was quite windy in Sawa-i-lau; it lies on the north edge of Viti Levu and when the wind shifts to the Northeast it gets quite brisk. We are now about 8 miles south and the wind is about 10 knots less than it was in Sawa-i-lau. Getting here is more challenging, navigationally, than we have experienced most other places. The local charts are "off" by about 0.2 miles, and navigational aids like bouys are rare; there are however, lots of submerged reefs. The Admiral spent about an hour carefully laying out our course for the day, a total of about 14 waypoints for a route of 10 miles. Once underway we both watch closely for the telltale turquoise water that tells you there is a reef. This is not something you would want to do when the sun is not high, and never at night.
Comments
Vessel Name: Surprise
Vessel Make/Model: Schumacher 46
Hailing Port: Richmond, CA.
Crew: Steve and Susan Chamberlin
About: Varies by voyage.
Extra:
Surprise was built in NZ by Davie Norris at Franklin Boatbuilders in Christchurch in 1997. 2 Pacific Cups, Mexico, B.C. and Alaska. Next stop South Pacific. She is a performance cruiser designed by the late Carl Schumacher and, in racing trim, carries a PHRF of 6. Fractional rig, no overlapping [...]
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