Category: Weather

2022, June 2022, Malolo Lailai Island, Weather

When A Good Day Goes Sideways

You know sometimes there are days that are just as beautiful and perfect as they can be on the hook. The sun shines brightly overhead. The seas are calm and the waters are crystal clear beneath the boat. The view of the shoreline is one of dreams with white sandy beaches, swaying palms and brightly colored huts. Yes, these are the days every cruiser and even non-cruisers dream of having. Then there are days like today…when a good day goes sideways.

We woke up to a rather nice morning in the Musket Cove anchorage here in Fiji. There were clouds but there was still quite a bit of sun. We were expecting a bit of a blow to come through which is precisely why we are still attached to the mooring ball. Better to be tucked nicely into a well protected cove and attached to a mooring that is anchored to the ground by a giant slab of concrete than to be in the out islands on the hook dealing with high winds and a chance of dragging anchor. Yes, we are glad to be here and feel good about the decision.

Good Day Goes Sideways

Somewhere mid morning I look out to find that the skies are beginning to look a bit more ominous. To the north and east it’s black as the ace of spades and a wall of rain miles across seems to be barreling down upon Malololailai and the surrounding anchorage like a runaway train sliding down a mountain. I can smell the rain too. The strong scent tells me it’s literally minutes away. 

I take a few steps back down the companionway to pick up my camera as I can see some pretty interesting skies and I enjoy taking weather photos. By the time I come up the winds are ramping up quite a bit. It literally went from a few knots to close to twenty in a matter of seconds. I switch on my camera and start taking some photos and video and the rains begins. Then the winds start getting stronger and the entire bay turns into this rocky roly mess complete with whitecaps. Before I know what is happening the high wind alarm starts going off indicating the winds are now over 35 knots!

As we look out across the anchorage we can barely see boats just a few hundred feet away. It’s just a wall of white with shadows in the distance and we know it’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. Dan head up on deck and that when things really start going sideways…literally going sideways.

At this point I could continue to write about what happened next but I think that showing you will really make you understand just how bad it got out here today. The good news is everyone survived but as you’ll see it was a rather frightening for a time.

Now that it’s all over it’s time for us to hit the beach bar for a couple of cold ones to calm my nerves.

Until next time,

Jilly 

Video Link Good Day

Read more about the amazing people here in Fiji. Click Here!

2022 New Zealand to Fiji, Passage Making, Weather

The Home Stretch … 52 NM To Go!

Well, what can I say about today? It certainly wasn’t the brochure sailing we had yesterday. Seems the weather prognosticators must have been tipping a little vino or were simply unable to accurately read the weather rock when they made their predictions for today. No. It wasn’t the worst we’ve ever seen by far but it certainly wasn’t the 1-2 meter long rolling swells and ten knot winds I’d been promised either. Nope, it was chunky and breezy making every step on Dazzler one that could potentially result in a broken bone. Believe me….I stepped very lightly and only when necessary.

But, we can’t blame it all on the simple minded weather dudes. We have a deadline to make if we want to get to Vuda and get checked into country tomorrow. You see, Customs here works on island time so they close shop at 1500. Yeah….that’s what I said. But, when you’re in Fiji you live by their rules. So anyway, in order to make it in time we had to kick Dazzler into gear a bit. When the seas are choppy and you pour on a little coal it can make it a bit more uncomfortable. It’s all a trade off….either spend 36 uncomfortable hours and get there and settled tomorrow or lollygag and not get there until Thursday.

You are probably saying to yourself, “But hey, you are retarded, I mean retired. You aren’t on a schedule, what difference would 12 hours make?” Well, I’ll tell ya Shoutie. Come Thursday this area of ocean that we are in will be overtaken by a low pressure system that will generate heavy rain and winds into the 30 knot range. Been there, done that…even got the T-shirt saying so but I don’t want to do it again if I can avoid it. So, I’m perfectly content with kicking it up a notch and dealing with some uncomfortable sailing for a day and a half.

It’s not been horrible today. I made a tasty dinner of chicken tortellini and even managed a bit of an afternoon nap. Dan and Poseidon have been at it though. He’s back to wanting to show us he’s in charge and he keeps slapping Dan with green water. Just before dinner Dan was in the cockpit and he got just doused with a huge wave that smacked the starboard side of Dazzler. I was down below looking out over the doors when I heard then saw it come crashing over the dodger. Then I hear Dan yelling, “What the f***?” Sometimes no other word suits the situation better.

As for me and Poseidon, we’ve come to an agreement. Each evening I come on watch and tell him how great he is and that I know he’s in charge out here and he rewards me with not smacking me in the face with a handful of salty sea. Tonight as I came on watch he reached up and gently kissed my cheek with a fine mist just to let me know he heard my praises.

Anyway, we got Dan cleaned up, ate dinner and I went down for my pre watch nap. It’s now midnight and I’m on my last night watch of this journey. It’s wonderful out this evening. The tradewinds are warm, the seas have mellowed out to the promised 1-2 meter long rollers and Dazzler is gently rolling side to side as she cuts a phosphorescent path of bluish green through the ocean.

As I look at the chart plotter, for the first time in a week, I see land around us. To the east is Kadavu Island, a place we hope to visit this trip. The magnificent reefs there are vibrant and alive. To the north is Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji and home to her capital city of Suva. It is on Viti Levu that Vuda Marina is located. I love the sea but it is always nice when you see the land at the end of a journey…especially one like this.

Dan will relieve me at 0430 at which time I will take one last catnap on this passage. By the time I awake I will be seeing the plush green mountains and aquamarine waters of Fiji. In less than ten hours we will enter the pass through the reef surrounding the island. Here the coral ring rises out of the sea with its jagged teeth shredding the Pacific swells that dare to crash over it thus reducing them to little more than ripples upon the inner bay. We know this pass. It’s the last pass we exited on our way to New Zealand two and a half years ago. I am literally counting the minutes until our arrival. I feel like a child on Christmas Eve…giddy with excitement and dreaming of what tomorrow will bring.

This passage has certainly been one for the books. There’s a reason they say it’s not for the faint at heart. And, honestly, as much as I’ve despised parts of this trip, I’m proud to say I’ve done it…not once but four times! It certainly is a badge of honor for any sailor but especially for a fair weather sailor like me. It’s a passage like this that tests your resolve, shows your strengths and fully exposes your weaknesses. Overcoming the challenges brings with it confidence in your abilities and those of your vessel. In the end, it builds character and leaves behind memories of a demanding but rewarding adventure.

Until next time,

Jilly

P.S. Are those Piña Coladas I see there in the distance?