I am going through the difficult process of saying my "good-byes" to the people we have met in Fiji. While I have done this throughout our trip this is by far, the hardest place to say "good-bye" to. I think I'm so together and then I fall completely apart with a hug. Looking back, every place we have visited had white sandy beaches, beautiful waterfalls, and pristine turquoise waters set against lush tropical background, but what sets Fiji apart from the rest, as I've said before, are the wonderful people. If only the rest of the world could be more like Fiji.
Long Windid is being prepared for its' journey north to Honolulu, Hawaii. Dan's capable crew (Steve Straitiff and Nick Sandford) will be flying in to Fiji early next week. They will finish up last minute details and then head out to Savusavu where they will wait for a weather window to sail to Western Samoa. All the sailing from Savusavu to Hawaii is upwind, unlike our trip to the South Pacific where the wind was behind us. Once there, (approx. 600 miles), they will re-provision and re-fuel before heading north to Christmas Island (just north of the equator and located on the ITCZ). Now comes the more difficult part of the trip. From Christmas Island, they will have to wait for the correct wind direction. They will travel east as far as they can with the 2 knot counter current before turning north to catch the trade winds towards Hawaii. The whole trip is approximately 3000 nautical miles.

FACT: Nothing points higher into the wind than a jet plane. That's why I'll flying!

Aloha, Hawaii!