A New Team

0800 position 17-41S 177-24E.  At the customs dock in Vuda Point Marina, Fiji

I enjoyed a relaxing two week vacation in Hawaii with Lori visiting with friends, completing a few projects around the house, and sleeping in my own bed.  On my last two nights at home Lori took me to see a couple of plays, "The Full Monty" and "The King and I".  I think she is trying to culture me so it is time to go back to sea.

I arrived back in Denerau yesterday to find a mostly new team aboard Van Diemen.  For the leg to Australia we have Michael "Zappa" Bell and his wife Marie Minslow, Geoff Wells, and Michael Vaughan (no relation) aboard in addition to Rob and me.  Zappa and Marie had been aboard for ten days already, sailed in the Musket Cove Regatta on Van Diemen last week, and even made it out to Navadra with Rob and Renee for a couple of days.  Michael and Geoff arrived in Denerau the day before I did.  Renee flew out to the USA yesterday afternoon leaving me as the last Yank aboard the boat.  The rest of the crew are Australian.

Van Diemen was anchored off of Denerau when I arrived, and there were numerous dinghy trips ferrying crew, provisions, and gear to and from the boat during the day yesterday.  At 4PM we pulled the hook and powered five miles to Vuda Point Marina to tie to the customs dock for the night.  Our plan is to clear customs this morning as soon as the office here opens and depart for New Caledonia before noon.

The forecast calls for light to moderate trade winds for the next week or so, perfect for a downwind slide to New Caledonia.  This should be fun.  None of us aboard have sailed to New Caledonia so it will be a new experience for us all.

This is being sent via WIFI at the Vuda Marina.  The ship's radio/modem has been acting up since I returned yesterday and we haven't been able to get it working.  Hopefully we will get it figured out and will be able to send and receive our daily emails and blog, and receive weather.  We shall see.  If you don't hear from us until we get to New Caledonia in four or five days it means we didn't solve the radio problems.