LAT 17 36.0
S. LON 17728.4 E (from 4.6.13 until 17.6.13)
On the 25.5.13
I arrived again in Auckland. Zefiro had been in New Zealand for almost 8 months
and with the exception of one month I had not been on board. It was winter and
high time to sail north since winters in this beautiful country are not very
enjoyable. It is cold and it rains almost every day. Parts of the South Island
were covered in snow. Zefiro was ready and had benefitted from numerous
improvements during the long stay. After few days of provisioning and last
tasks completed we departed on 29.May in northerly direction for Fiji. The
winds were light and variable and we had to motor for the better part of the
first two days.
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| We caught a nice dorade; dinner was served |
Through the
weather report we observed a low forming west of north developing a spin like a
cyclone on its prognosed track to the South East. In the southern hemisphere
the winds rotate clockwise and so we set our course northwesterly in order not
to sail into the meanwhile 65 knots storm. Soon we had up to 45 knots of wind
from a favourably south-easterly direction, the engine was turned off and we
sped along with 12-13 knots surfing down the waves with Top speeds over 20
knots. Five hundred miles in two days. We had passed the eye of the storm with
about 90 miles distance. Thereafter it was all over and we had to motor again
for remaining two days. Some other yachts that had left Auckland three days
after us in a Regatta to Fiji were not so lucky.
One yacht was
dismasted and on another one a crewmember had fallen overboard. He was
retrieved but had been unconscious in the water for a while and was still in a
serious condition. Worse, a 70' Yawl (59-foot
schooner ???) called Nina built in 1928 (quite famous, it won 1928 the first Fastnet race) had left from Opua same day as
us and was on the way to Australia. She was hit by the storm shortly after her
departure from the North Island. Seeing photos of her on the internet how low a
Freeboard she has I am not surprised she disappeared in 50 Knots of wind with 8
to 12 m high waves north of Cape Reinga on the 4.6.13. For weeks Rescue teams
searched a huge area but finally they had to accept that the crew of seven had
gone down with the Yacht. A tragic loss with no trace of anything.
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| Riding the storm |
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| Storm sailing |
We did the
1.250 NM to Fiji in six days and six hours, which was faster than originally
expected. When we arrived at Lautoka, our port of entry I was surprised and pleased
to see the Helene Rickmers - under Uniteam Marine crew management - alongside
in the port. The next morning I took my three Burmese crew and visited the
cargo ship, which is manned with full, Burmese Crew and they were all happy to
see us. They hosted us and we had pleasing discussions.
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| Helene Rickmers in Port Lautoka |
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| Visit on board Helene Rickmers |
Fiji lies in
Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean. The closest neighbours are Vanuatu to the
West, New Caledonia to the Southwest and Tonga to the East. The country
consists of more than 332 Islands, 110 of which are permanently inhabited. Fiji
has a population of about 850.000. The capital and largest city is Suva. The
majority of the Fijian Islands were formed through volcanic activities that
started about 150 Million years ago. The country is one of the most developed
economies in the Pacific Islands area because it has an abundance of forest-,
mineral- and fish resources. Today the main sources of foreign exchange are its
tourist industry and sugar exports.
From the 4.6.13
until the 17.6.13 we cruised the breathtakingly beautiful Islands of Fiji
exploring countless Bays, Beaches, Caves and got in contact with the people and
culture of the Yasawa Islands.
The first stop
was Waya Island however before we were allowed to move around we had to get
permission from the local chief of the village. The Fijian Law provides that
each village has full rights over its Beaches, waters, fishing grounds, etc. So
after dropping anchor Jeri my right hand man and I took a bundle of kava roots
that in anticipation we had bought earlier and presented it as a gift to the
old village chief. He was 73 years old. We had a nice chat with him and his
daughter in law after which he blessed us and politely gave us permission to
cruise around.
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| Visit to the village chief |
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| Get the blessing of the village elder |
The village was
incredibly basic and poor however the people were very friendly and seemed to
be very happy. We saw only smiling faces. Luckily the custom with permission
from the chief is not practised on all the Islands, which saved us valuable
time during the next two weeks. The “Blue Lagoon” where the Movie with Brooke
Shields was made was amazing with its calm turquoise waters. In the evening in
the Nanuya resort we joined a local music group sitting with them on the floor
and enjoyed their Love songs with very soft and high-pitched but beautifully
romantic voices. This was the first time also we drank kava from the very kava
root. We were told it causes a state of mind like Hashish however I didn't feel
anything so I stopped the consumption because it tastes and looks like used
dish washing water.
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| Island beauties |
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| Freshly caught tuna (Crevalle Jack) trawling from the dinghy along the reefs |
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| Blue Lagoon |
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| Yasawa sailing |
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| Swimming and diving in the caves |
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| Exploring the mangrove rivers |
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| Roman Catholic School in Matacava |
One lasting
memory was meeting a family with their two children in a remote place at
Matacava. We needed fresh vegetables and we were told this was the place to get
them. A living place cannot be more basic and yet the young family displayed an
acceptance and peace with their situation that I cannot imagine in our society.
But then they had all the crops they needed, they had chicken, he had a little
sailboat used for fishing, cooking took place outside the hut on a primitive
fireplace. The son Joe was six and was at a school a few miles away that we
would later visit. The little girl Miria was only three and was busy playing with a
litter of seven little puppies and dressing the Barbie-dolls I brought her.
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| In the farm plantation with Miria |
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| Toki the farmer |
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| Freshly bought vegetables at Toki's plantation |
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| Toki's daughter Miria enjoying the small gifts |
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| Miria with doll present; wouldn't mind to have such a beautiful little granddaughter |
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| Miria with one of the little puppies out of a litter of seven |
The two weeks
passed quickly and we were getting ready to sail on to our next destination New
Caledonia. I believe Fiji is definitely one of the important countries to visit
for one who is sailing in the Pacific Ocean.
PLEASE ALSO SEE OUR BLOG ARCHIV WITH FURTHER REPORTS!
(at the bottom of the blog)
