18 September - Home Again

Lori and I arrived back in Honolulu early this morning after an enjoyable month in Fiji.  Many thanks to Clay and Gail for inviting us to  join Jambalaya's crew, and to the Logans for playing with us and taking us out to Malolo Island for a day.

We didn't have the ability to post pictures in the blog when we were in Fiji.  Sorry about that.  Here are a few shots that show highlights from a month of cruising in Fiji waters.

I'm heading back to Fiji on 9 October to help Clay sail Jambalaya to New Zealand.  I hope to blog during that trip.

Clay finds a Green Sea Turtle Shell, Koroinasolo Inlet

Sailing to Malolo aboard Puanani

Jambalaya crew hard aground

KYC Cruising Fleet, South Pacific Squadron, 2016

Hiking in Baulailai Bay, Vanua Levu

15 September - Malolo

Malolo is a Fijian word for a different species of fish than our Hawaiian Malolo. It's also the name of the island we are anchored to leeward of.

We had a magnificent sail over from Vuda Marina, first reaching in a light thermal breeze from the west, and then in 20 knot trades from the east after we escaped the lee of Viti Levu. We fell in with an Oyster 80, which managed to sneak past us, but we had more fun.

This place has changed since I last sailed in here 40 years ago. Back then a single resort had just opened, and we were anchored next to Kialoa II and Windward Passage - just us 3 boats in the anchorage. There are about 50 boats anchored here now, with at least 20 percent more in an inner harbor that wasn't here before. There are at least 4 resorts now, numerous bars and pools, an airport, regular ferry service, rental hobie cats and windsurfers, and lots of people. All the development doesn't seem to have spoiled the place though. It is still magical.

14 September - Neighbors

The boat moored on our port side is a puzzling program. It is a very nice, modern, center cockpit ketch, probably a $2M yacht. The very large hammer and sickle on the bow leaves little question about where it is from. I tried to make small talk, just to be friendly, with the pot bellied guy aboard her when we arrived, but he just mumbled to himself in response and ignored me. Hmmm.... It's just him and a very attractive much younger lady aboard. We can hear them speaking to each other in Russian. Double hmmm.... Marina gossip is that he is the professional skipper, and the boat hasn't moved in years. Yesterday he was in the bosun's chair at the top of their 80 foot tall main mast working on something. I was in Jambalaya's cockpit when I heard a loud "bang" from the Russian boat and turned that way in time to see a large pair of vice grips bounce off their deck into the water between our boats. A few minutes later an even larger tool was dropped from the top of the
mast. It made an even louder noise as it hit the deck and bounced overboard on the other side of the Russian boat. Those missiles could have killed someone with a direct hit, and they certainly left some nasty dings in the deck. The lithe gal, who was controlling the halyard, shook her head in embarrassment as those of us aboard the surrounding vessels shrugged our shoulders in bewilderment. Competent seamen don't drop tools like that. The Russian never said a word. Hmmm...

We have a Canadian family to starboard on a Stevens 47 sloop and we have become fast friends. Max and Liz, both retired Canadian military engineers, and children, Victoria, 12, Jonathan, 10, and 2 year old Benjamin are 4 years into their Pacific cruise. From a distance it looks like chaos, but closer inspection reveals a happy family loving life. Victoria says "Benjamin is VERY two", and he is, with periodic tantrums as he learns to control his emotions. The older kids are amazing, taking responsibility for boat projects, soaking in anything new, and reading during every slack moment. They've come aboard Jambalaya for an impromptu ukulele jam session and Victoria has taken hula lessons from Blossom on the lawn. In return, Victoria just gave Lori and Blossom a lesson in cake decorating... She's 12... We've been out to dinner with the family twice, and Lori and Liz are doing yoga on the lawn in the mornings before the kids wake up. I'm trying to talk them into stoppin
g in at KYC on their way home.

Fiji

My previous experiences in Fiji were limited to the area around Suva, the country's largest city. It is a busy impersonal place that didn't leave me wanting to come back.

It is clear to me now that I had misjudged this country. The people we have met during this visit are friendly, happy, and hard working. Everyone greets us with a cheerful "Bula" (hello) as we pass. It is a 3rd world country and the locals don't have much, but they don't seem to want for much either.

We've taken a couple of shoreside excursions by taxi to see the sights, and in typical Lori Loyd fashion she has become best friends with our drivers, extracting every detail of their life stories during our cab rides. Most entrepreneurs here, including the cab drivers, are ethnic Indians. We've had Christian, Muslim, and Hindu drivers. All have kids that are either in or on their way to college. Nearly all the drivers have multiple jobs and are optimistic about the future.

Yesterday we were walking around Lautoka, Fiji's second largest city and it's sugar industry hub. The city is dilapidated, but remarkably clean and well groomed. A train engine, which hauls sugar cane from the fields to the mill in town, was chugging through the center of this busy city. As it passed by, the engineer noticed a young father holding his 2 year old daughter up to see the train. The engineer stopped, reversed the train back to where the family stood, took the child from her father, and held her tenderly as he gave her a ride 100 yards up and down the track. He handed her back to her Dad and resumed his journey. This is a kinder, gentler place than I had expected.

12 September - Fleet Awards

The Kaneohe Yacht Club Cruising Fleet, South Pacific Squadron, is pleased to announce the 2016 recipient of its "Blue Water Medal" for achievement under sail. The medal goes to Blossom Logan.

Here she is in the middle of the South Pacific after 3,000 miles of open ocean sailing, a fully involved and happy member of Puanani's crew. It is hard to believe that when she left Kaneohe Bay double handing with Mark at the end of April, headed south, that it was her first time sailing out in the ocean.... ever.

Wow.

Living aboard a small boat is very different from life ashore, especially when the boat is not in a marina, which is most of the time down here. Water and electricity are precious, no paper is allowed in the toilet, your home rocks and rolls, you pull up the anchor and move just as you are starting to get comfortable after the previous move... It's not for everybody and it's not easy for anybody, but Blossom is right there doing her part, feeding her boys 3 times a day, baking cakes and sharing them with other lucky cruisers, shopping for provisions in foreign ports, and entertaining aboard Puanani... And all of it with a smile on her face.

11 September - The Boat Shed Bar

We are really enjoying the Boat Shed Bar here at the Vuda Marina. Picture a large tiki bar with imperfect round poles for posts and beams and thatched coconut roofing and walls. There is seating for about 40 that surrounds the central sunken service area. The whole thing overhangs the narrow marina entrance channel so patrons can inspect the yachts as they come and go and even speak with the crews as they pass by.

To give you an idea of how narrow the channel is, a 40 foot sloop went aground just outside the channel yesterday afternoon. We were relaxing aboard Jambalaya at the time, and word spread quickly through the Marina that there was a boat on the stones. The best vantage point was the bar, so we headed there with most of the rest of the marina's inhabitants, grabbed a beer, and watched. The wind was blowing on-shore at 20 knots, and the boat was being hammered by the small surf. There was plenty of help on hand trying to get her off when we got there. They pulled her off with a large power boat after about an hour and she was still floating the last time we saw her.

Right now we're sitting in the bar enjoying cocktails and listening to one of the most talented bands I've ever heard. Look at the 5 band members, all very large ethnic Fijians, and you'd expect to hear traditional native music. Nope. Clapton, Eagles, Springsteen, Earth, Wind and Fire, Iron Butterfly, George Benson... These guys are great!

10 September - Life is Goo

You really get to know your shipmates during an extended cruise aboard a small boat. There are 4 of us living on this 43 foot by 12 foot vessel and we are in constant contact 24/7. You can't move around the boat without having to slide sideways past someone else. If the entire crew isn't compatible, life can be problematic.

We've figured out that the 4 of us aboard Jambalaya are very compatible, and we are having a great time. Although we're not living in the same close proximity, we're also having a great time interacting with the crew of Puanani. Our friendly fishing competitions have been fun, and getting together with them to share a drink and tell tall tales at the end of the day has been a hoot. Clay and Mark also work well together, helping each other with boat projects and sharing tools, supplies, and expertise.

Part of getting to know your shipmates well is swapping stories, and we've heard some good ones. One of my favorites is one Clay tells about a boat he and a pal bought years ago. It was a first generation Macgregor 26, a real piece of junk priced accordingly. They had a hard time getting it from Keehi Lagoon to Kaneohe because boat wouldn't sail to weather, even in perfect conditions. The name of the boat when they bought it was apparently "Life is Good". However, the letters had been improperly attached to the hull with contact cement by one of the previous owners, and the "d" had fallen off leaving the name "Life is Goo". That name seemed to fit the tiny beat up unseaworthy hunk of fiberglass so they left it alone. Great story.

After much debate over numerous beers, The Kaneohe Yacht Club Cruising Fleet, South Pacific Squadron, has decided that our fleet motto is "Life is Goo".