Category: September 2019

Fiji, Malolo Island, Monuriki Island, September 2019, South Pacific, Tavua Island, The South Pacific

Keep Trying

With Dan back from the states and our watermaker fixed it was time to do a little cruising in the Mamanuca and Yasawa Island chains here in western Fiji. We’ve heard they are amazing and we wanted to see for ourselves so on a gorgeous, sunny day we set out on yet another adventure.

The first stop for us was at the northern end of the Mamanucas at Monuriki Island. This is where they filmed the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks. The island itself is absolutely beautiful but unfortunately for us the day we arrived there was too much swell to anchor so we did a drive by, took a couple of pics. Of course we had to take one with me and Wilson. We were both a bit disappointed about not being able to stay but sometimes you just have to keep moving if you want to stay safe.

We made another stop in a beautiful anchorage on the north side of Tavua Island. It appeared to be the perfect spot and we had it all to ourselves. The water there was really clear and on the beach we watched as villagers from the other side of the island were searching the rocks for crabs and fish. We even had a fishing boat come by with several men in it. Behind them were three or four young boys snorkeling and spear fishing. Yes here in the islands the kids work just as hard as the adults. Maybe that’s why they turn out to be such awesome people. You know, they aren’t sitting around being handed everything. But wait, I’m getting dangerously close to discussing politics here so I will just move along.

We really enjoyed this marvelous little anchorage but when I said,“It appeared to be the perfect spot”, appeared is the key word.  After about two hours of relaxing and enjoying the views the wind and swell kicked up and we just weren’t feeling good about it. The anchorage is not well protected so it’s one you really want to stay in when it’s fairly calm. So, with daylight fleeting we hauled anchor and raced to the northern end of Malolo Island where the Likuliku Lagoon Resort is located. They are not cruiser friendly but they do have a wonderfully protected bay with crystal clear waters and since we stayed here before we were sure it would be the best spot with the most protection from the wind and swell.

When we say they aren’t cruiser friendly it means that cruisers aren’t welcome on shore at the resort and quite frankly if they could keep us out of their bay they probably would. The first time we stayed here their island boat was taking one of their guests waterskiing and was doing circles around the three anchored boats making it pretty uncomfortable. It was almost as if they were doing anything they could to get us all to haul anchor and leave. Of course when you look at their website and see that an over the water bure runs almost $11K USD per week it’s easy to understand the exclusivity and reason for their “no cruiser” policy.

We arrived at Likuliku just as the sun was going down. With all of the coral reefs around here traveling these waters at dark is never advisable so we were delighted to have made it just before dark. That evening Dan cooked up some wings on the grill and we sat back and enjoyed another beautiful night in Fiji. It may have taken three tries to find the right spot for the night but we found it. One thing we know is that if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t so you need to move to another spot.

Next we head north to the Yasawas…check back to find out about our wonderful adventures in these amazing islands.

Until Next Time…

Jilly & Dan

Fiji, September 2019, South Pacific, The South Pacific

It’s Not An Easy Life

For those who think cruising life is easy or is “the life of Riley”, we’ve got some news …. it’s rarely ever easy! Aside from the daily tasks of water and power maintenance, the scavenger hunts we call grocery shopping, the litany of chores such as cleaning stainless, decks and woodwork, engine maintenance, sail maintenance, anchor monitoring to be sure you or you neighbors aren’t sliding, troubles at sea as well as hiding from the weather….there are the big problems. The ones that we have to fix to be able to live in our home and continue to sail. 

Today we were all set to go to shore for some quick provisioning then come back and get ready for dinner with some friends who are here from New Zealand. As we were about to leave Dan noticed water coming out from the area under the seat at the table. That locker houses our Spectra water maker. We had it running and yep…it had sprung a leak! Arghhh!

We shut it down and headed to shore. We needed some provisions because we plan to leave tomorrow and Dan was certain it would be an easy fix. We shared a light lunch, got our supplies and then headed back to Dazzler so he could fix the leak and we could get ready to go to dinner.

There’s a saying in Water World that goes like this. “Every boat project is just one broken bolt away from being a three day event.” It’s a saying as true as “Nothing is free or easy in Water World.” Today it seems the “easy fix” comment was just waiting to bite us in the butt.

Dan replaced the end cap and put the water maker back together. We fired her up and within seconds he noticed another leak…this time in a piece of stainless tubing. Sure enough he found a hole in it. Okay, not a huge problem as we have a spare piece to replace it. Out comes the water maker again and he places it on the table. Understand that this is not a small piece of equipment and it’s rather awkward to handle. There’s the added issue that taking it apart means water … saltwater, goes  everywhere. No, not a fun project at all but Dan, ever the patient man, continues to work on it. I call Sean and Donna and explain that we need an extra hour to which they say, “it’s all good”. I start getting ready for dinner while Dan continues to work.

With the tubing replaced he puts the water maker back together and hooks it up again. He has me fire it up while he looks to be sure there are no more leaks. I hear “shit” come from the other side of the counter. “Shut it down. We’ve got another leak.” He says. 

“Another one? Really?” I question disappointingly. I know now this is going to be a much bigger deal than expected.

Sounds like we will not be going to dinner after all. I call Donna and Sean and let them know we’ve got a problem and can’t leave. You see, on land you turn on a spigot and water comes out…as long as you pay the bill of course. On a boat we either have to make our own water or we have to bring it in water jugs to the boat, which means we are tied to marinas and places where you can get good water. That can be a problem in third world countries. It’s also a problem when you have a nine day passage to get back to New Zealand coming up so Dan continues working.

I sit in the cockpit playing my tin whistle while enjoying the beautiful views while poor Dan is breaking his back to fix the water maker.

This time he replaces a bad O ring. Of course it requires the full removal of the water maker from the cabinet again. More water…more aggravation. I change clothes back into my boat attire and head to the cockpit. At this point I’m just trying to stay out of the way. The thing about boat projects is that they are messy and usually require a lot of things being strewn about as you dig through lockers to get to parts and tools so I know that keeping out of his way is the best way I can help.

It’s not long before I see Dan putting the unit back in the locker. From my seat at the helm I watch as he starts it up. I’m holding my breath this time and of course have said a little prayer. It runs for about thirty seconds. Dan kneels down in the locker and before I know it he’s turning it off again. It appears that the cylinder must have a small fissure in it.

This easy project has now become a huge problem because that’s a spare part we don’t have on the boat. Why? Well it’s an expensive one and one that isn’t likely to fail. What was that I said about the broken bolt and three days? Yes…this is going to be a much bigger deal. Of course the worst of it all is that we can’t just run up to the store and get one. Nope…it’s likely going to require having one ordered from the US and then shipped which makes an expensive part just that much more expensive. As we sit right now we are making water as the water maker leaks and we have a tub collecting the leakage. Tomorrow we will go to the marine store ashore to find out just how costly this is going to be and how long it will take to get the replacement cylinder. You know what they say about the word BOAT…Break Out Another Thousand. 

I’m NOT complaining about our life….not in the slightest way. We absolutely love our life on Dazzler. We see places and do things that most people will never see or do. We are blessed beyond words with what we have here. The point is that it’s not an easy life out here like most people believe. We work our butts off to be able to do this. Whenever new cruisers ask our advice we always tell them that if you don’t absolutely love it and aren’t willing to work like a dog to do it then you shouldn’t even consider it.

Excuse me now as it’s time for us to clean up all the water and put the boat back together so we can move around again. After that I guess we’ll heat up some soup. It’s certainly not the meal we planned. HA HA!

Until next time,

Jilly & Dan