25th and 26th Oct, Careel bay, Pittwater

As there was strong winds forecast for later in the day we had an early start from Manly to make the 15 mile trip up the coast to Pittwater. We have arranged a mooring buoy in Careel Bay which is going to be Newtsvilles new home.
It was a slow motor with the wind too close to sail and tide against us. The sky was very grey and as we rounded the headland at the entrance to the bay it started torrential raining and thunder and lightning! We made our way into the bay with reduced visibility and had to avoid a sea plane!
We motor around the bay looking for our buoy - no. 64. We found 62 and 63 and then realised that another boat was on 64 so we were told to pick up a different buoy. About half an hour later as we were starting to dry off we heard voices outside. It was the owner of the buoy we were on needing us to move - we were directed to a different buoy and werent asked to move again.
During the night the forecast southerly came in and it was a wet and windy night.

In the morning we had to pack our bags to go to our hotel in the city centre. The weather was still horrible and we ended up with alot of bags (all covered in bin bags to ensure they stayed dry on the trip ashore) so we decided to get a taxi to the city rather than the bus.We got picked up by the marina launch boat and said goodbye to Newt.
We are now settled into our hotel room for 2 weeks. We are still looking for an apartment and have to buy jonny a suit before he starts work in a week.

As we have now left the boat and are at the end of our trip we will only update the website periodically. We love hearing from people about our trip and are happy to answer any questions so please keep in touch.

Love Kate, Jonny and Newtsville

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24th Oct, Manly, Sydney

An early start this morning to go and pick up our hire car. We had a busy day looking at apartments and found some that were more what we were looking for than on Thurs. Still not found the right one but will keep looking.
We had a quiet night on the boat.

23rd Oct, Manly, Sydney

We moved Newt up to Manly today which is the area we are hoping to rent a house in.
We had a busy day ashore getting our bank cards, doing internet jobs and researching houses to visit tomorrow.
After a brief trip back to the boat we headed back ashore for dinner with Lauren and Andy. We met them when they were crew on White Hawk. We had a great evening with them on their balcony overlooking the harbour. We met their house mate John and Nick (also crew on White Hawk) came round as well.

22nd Oct, Sydney, Australia

We set the alarm for 7am to get up and move the boat as we were now anchored in the channel and wanted time to set the anchor in the new location before we headed off for the day. We motored over to Balls Head Bay and dropped the anchor and after speaking to another boat in the bay we were happy.
We walked up to the nearby train station to met the Relocation agent that PWC provided for us. We were spending the day looking at apartments. We visited 7 apartments - some good, some ok and some horrible!! A couple were nice but not quite right so we will keep looking. Apartments are moving really fast at the moment and hopefully we will be able to sort something out for when we move out of our PWC hotel.
As we were finishing dinner Jaime and Lisa from a local boat came over to say hello. We spent a nice evening talking to them - they are off to America in a couple of weeks to buy a boat and sail it back to Australia.

21st Oct, Sydney Harbour

A busy first day in Sydney and a first for Newtsville!
After breakfast and showers we headed ashore. We needed to go to the chandlery which was a couple of bays away. When we left the UK we replaced our mast head lights with LED lights which have been great - bright but low power usage. Unfortunately as we have traveled across the Pacific the anchor light had started to fail and by the time we got to Tonga it wasn't worth putting on. When we contacted the manufacturer they said that when we got to Sydney they would be happy to exchange it under warranty. After walking for 45 mins we were worried that when we got to the chandlery the manufacturer wouldn't have e mailed and they wouldn't know what we were talking about but they had the bulb waiting for us.
We got the bus back to the city centre and went to the Aquarium to meet John and Monica for lunch. John and Monica are cruising friends of Jonny's parents. John had been delivering a boat across the Pacific but our paths hadn't crossed and now they were in Sydney visiting their daughter. They took us for a lovely lunch at an Italian restaurant on Darling Harbour and then came back to the boat for a drink.
After a big lunch we didn't feel we needed any dinner so we settled down to watch a dvd. Jonny happened to glance out of the hatch and noticed that we were nearly touching the boat behind us. For the first time since we left the UK we had dragged our anchor. It was just going dark so we had a quick motor around but decided where we had been was the best spot so decided to try again. After watching the boat for a while we seemed to be holding so went to carry on watching the dvd. A large gust came through the anchor and when we looked out we realised that we had dragged again. We picked up the anchor and moved to a spot that meant we were slightly in the channel but by now it was dark and we thought we could move first thing in the morning. We watched the rest of the dvd and went to bed with the anchor alarm set but we seemed to be holding.
I was abit nervous about going to sleep but was dozing lightly at around midnight when i heard a banging on the hull. I jumped out of bed thinking we had dragged again and went to look. I could see a canoe banging against Newts hull but no one in it. I shouted to Jonny to come up when i heard this voice in the water. One of the guys off a nearby boat had tried to kayak out to his boat and had tipped it over and couldnt get back in. I lowered our swimming ladder and shouted for Jonny again. The young lad was fully clothed and absolutely soaking. He had lost his phone and wallet. He used our bathroom - leaving a wet trail through the boat and then Jonny gave him a lift to his boat in our dinghy.
By 1am we were back in bed and had a good nights sleep!!

21st Oct AM, Sydney Harbour

We arrived at the harbour entrance as it was coming light and motored through the harbour past the opera house and under the bridge. We are now anchored in Blackwattle Bay near the fish market and Darling Harbour.
It was an amazing feeling to have arrived and to be sailing in the harbour.

20th Oct, Coffs Harbour to Sydney

We had a great day sailing.
In Niue we saw whales breaching on the horizon and in Tonga we saw them swimming past the boat however this is the first time we have seen them breaching and tail slapping reasonably close to the boat. It was amazing to see.
In the evening we took down the main and sailed overnight under the genoa to ensure we arrived at the harbour at first light. At times even with just the genoa up we were doing 7 knots due to the current!!

19th Oct, Coffs Harbour to Sydney

After a lazy morning we left the marina again at lunchtime. Today we had the light headwinds and a much calmer sea.
We made good progress motor sailing down the coast doing 7 knots with the current.
We should be in Sydney first light on wed morning.

24hr run: 146 n/m

18th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

After a walk round the market and having Scott, Bonito and then Jane and Matt, Lissa over for coffee we headed out into the harbour.
The weather forecast had said that we would have light headwinds so we decided to leave and motor overnight to get going on our trip to Sydney. Outside the harbour the winds were much stronger than forecast and the sea was huge. After 1/2 an hour pounding into the wind and sea at 3 knots we turned back to Coffs.
As we didnt have a marina key anymore we spent the afternoon on the boat. Jane and Matt came over to find out why we were back!!
An early night ready to head off again tomorrow!!

17th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

We spent the day getting ready to leave tomorrow – we went to the supermarket to get some fresh food and then filled up the water tanks.
Matt and Jayne, Lissa, came over to say hello whilst we were cooking tea so we invited them for a drink after dinner. We had a great evening with them. They are a similar age to us and have spent the last 6 months sailing the Australia east coast. They are thinking about going further so were keen to hear our experiences.
They are heading down to Sydney on their way back to Victoria so hopefully we will cross paths again there.
The weather looks good tomorrow to do the final 250 miles (48 hours) down to Sydney. We will hopefully be sailing under the Harbour Bridge on Tue morning!!

16th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

Today was a day for boat jobs – the saloon cushions got a scrub and Jonny went up the mast to tidy up the padding on the spreaders.

15th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

We walked out to Aldi this morning as there was a steam cleaner and toaster on offer. The saloon covers have been getting abit grubby recently and thought a steam cleaner would be useful. We normally walk to the mall and get the bus back but by the time we had finished in Aldi it was half an hour til the bus so we decided to walk back with the steam cleaner (no toasters left!!).
After lunch back at the boat we tested the steam cleaner but it didnt seem to have the right attachements for upholstery cleaning - never mind apparently Jonny can use it to clean the engine!!
Jonny went on 'Slippery When Wet' to do the Twilight race and had a good time (apart from a little collision!!) - finishing 2nd on the water.

14th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

We walked out to the mall this morning to do some clothes shopping. After a walk round the mall and a stop at the supermarket we got the bus back to the boat.
After a late lunch we had a lazy afternoon on the boat.

13th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

We looked at the weather first thing and decided we weren't happy with the system coming through – we have still got plenty of time to get down to Sydney so we decided not to risk it. The weather at the weekend looks like a better option but we will have to see what happens as the week progresses (the weather info is normally only accurate for about the first 4 days so the weekend is a bit too far away).
We decided to have a lazy day on the boat as since we left Fiji we have been going non stop with a 5 day passage to New Caledonia, 4 days in Noumea fixing the engine mounts and then a 7 day passage to Australia and since we arrived here we have been busy doing jobs.
We did a load of washing as the wind had finally died enough to peg it out on the boat
and then I spent the afternoon reading my book. Jonny spent the afternoon on the internet researching the best option for transferring some of our money from the UK to Australia. By the end of the afternoon we were glad that we hadn't left as the wind was back up – although as it was now from a different direction it was a warm wind compared to the cold wind we have had since we arrived.

12th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

As we had been in Coffs longer than planned we decided to look into opening a bank account.
We walked into town – we had both decided to wear our deck shoes as it was a 3km walk and both regretted it by the time we got to town with huge blisters – back to flip flops!!
We visited the 4 main banks and got all the information before deciding which one to go with. We now have a bank account sorted ready for when we have some money to put in it!!
Back at Newt we looked at the weather and debated whether to leave tomorrow for a 160 mile trip to Port Stephens. The weather for tomorrow looked ok but as we would be approaching Port Stephens a weather system with 35 knot wind was also approaching and it would be tight time wise whether we made it into Port Stephens before it hit – we decided to wait and look in the morning to see how the system was developing and moving.

11th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

The plan today was to go to the nearby markets. However as we were having breakfast we heard one of the local boats saying they were dressing their boat so we thought we would offer them our bunting for the day – it was the start of the sailing season and they were having a sail by the end of the jetty.
They encouraged us to bring Newt out but we are in a tight berth so they invited us on their boat "Slippery when Wet." The 'sail past' was scheduled for 10.30 so we headed out into harbour about 10.15 and motored round in the harbour with 4 other boats. By 11am Pete decided we needed some beers so we went along side the wharf and Jonny, Kathy and I held the boat off whilst Pete dashed to the bottle shop.
Stocked up with alcohol we headed bac k into the harbour where the other boats had started a small race so we decided to motor along with them.
By midday Pete and Kathys grand daughter, Chloe was starting to feel seasick so we headed back into the marina and spent the rest of the afternoon drinking 3 bottles of champagne and too many beers.
By the time Chloes parents came to pick her up at 4pm and we headed back to Newt we had a very quiet and early night!

10th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

This morning we got the bus into town to go to a book swap shop – we took about 12 books we didn't want and ended up with 5 we did!!
After a quick supermarket shop we were back at the boat for lunch.
After lunch we walked to a nearby surf outlet shop and found some new shorts for me – my favourite ones from the UK that I have practically lived in had to go in the bin in Noumea as they had holes in the bottom!!

9th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

I was very excited to be going to the hair dressers this morning for the first time since Panama. It was great to have some style cut back into my hair – not that I will be wearing it down much!!
Before lunch we went for a walk up Mutton Bird Island to see if we could see any whales however the sea was too big to see very much. We were glad we were safely in the marina and not trying to arrive today as there was a huge swell in the harbour.
After lunch Jonny went for a walk to find a new filter for our drinking water and I had a much needed siesta – 2 nights of windy weather meant I hadn't slept much.

8th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

A busy day of jobs…
We put the clothes in the washing machine on the way to the showers and retrieved them on the way back to hang up on the boat. Unfortunately the strong wind had other ideas and we decided we would be chasing clothes around the marina if we hung them up and the guy on the motor boat offered us his tumble dryer.
Jonny started doing his job … fixing the water pump, fixing the back toilet pump and fixing the leak from the anchor windlass whilst I kept an eye on our clothes and look for our duvet which we had hidden away in the Caribbean.
The duvet was in need of a wash before we could use it and the tumble dryer on the boat behind us was taking a while so I took the washing anfd the duvet back to the launderette and used the big tumble dryers and wash and dried the duvet.
Whilst I was doing this Jonny decided as it was so cold last night he would have a look at the diesel heater – it was working in the UK but we were getting exhaust fumes in the boat – not a great idea!!
We got the washing done and Jonny got the heater working so we went to the supermarket to get some supplies and then on the way back went to customs to check on the status of our Tiki man wooden carving from Tonga. The Tiki man had been taken by customs because he had some 'bore' holes in it indicating that it possibly had creatures living in it. The customs man had taken him to put in the freezer until quarantine could look at it. Quarantine were happy that if anything was in there it was dead and we could take Tiki man back to the boat to de frost with the advice if we found any saw dust near it to put it back in the freezer!!
Back at the boat Jonny added extra lines and fenders as it was blowing around 40 knots and we were in for a windy night.

7th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

A breakfast treat of bacon sandwiches was a good start to the day.
We walked into the town of Coffs Harbour today to try and find a mobile phone. We explored the shops and watched some of the buskers that were in town for the Buskers Festival before getting the bus back.
We had a relaxing afternoon on the boat doing internet and admin jobs before an early tea, dvd and bed.

6th Oct, Coffs Harbour, Australia

Despite a lot of cruising rumours to the contrary the check in was straight forward and the officials were very friendly and helpful.
From the customs berth we moved to a berth in the marina and went for much needed showers and bought a burger for lunch.
We decided to get the bus to a nearby mall for the afternoon and had a fun afternoon exploring the shops.
A supermarket in the mall meant that we could have some fresh meat for tea however the bottle of champagne in the fridge to celebrate our arrival was left unopened as we were too tired!!

New Cal to Australia Day 6

We have arrived!! We arrived at 08:30 local time - making it a 6 day and 30 min trip from New Cal (872 miles). The last 24 hours were mixed. Some sailing, then the wind died, so we motored through the night. We had a huge squall with lots of lightening at around 2am. We got the East Australian Current for a large part of the night adding 2 knots to our boat speed. We are currently at anchor in Coffs Harbour awaiting customs to invite us into the marina for official clearance.
It seems so strange to be in Australia - its the end of the trip in a way - I know we still have 250 miles to go down to Sydney, but this will be our last clearance - 21 countries visited since we left the UK! We've logged over 15,750 miles thus far and the trip down to Sydney will take it over the 16,000 mile threshold - not bad in 15 months!
We'll write more later, but first some sleep and a beer (I may go and find a kangaroo too - just because we're 'down under mate'!)

New Cal to Australia - Day 5

A day without motoring!! The wind filled in from the SSW so we were close hauled, and then backed to the S. Quite strong but nice to be doing good speeds. During the night we had some big squalls but still kept the speed up (with heavily reefed sails!). As it came light the wind was dropping off, but we were still sailing along. The seas have been quite big which has been a bit unpleasant - but we are excited as we should make landfall in about 24 hours!!! (Kate has made Strawberry Crumble in celebration to eat with our last carton of custard (which would get removed by quarantine in Oz anyway!)).
24 Hour Run: 152 n/m
Total Distance Run: 720 n/m
Distance to Run: 141 n/m

New Cal to Australia Day 4

Finally - some sailing! The wind started off a nice 10 - 15 knots from the N and gradually increased during the day. By the evening we had a reefed genoa and reefed main and making 7.5 knots on average! It lasted until around 2am when a dark cloud appeared which took the wind, swung it SW (on the nose!) blasted strong winds, thunder, lightening and rain, and then disappeared leaving no wind! We motored until first light when the wind tracked around to the South and filled in between 15 and 20 knots!
24 Hour Run: 149 n/m
Total Distance Run: 568 n/m
Distance to Run: 292 n/m

New Cal to Australia Day 3

Another windless day - we motored all day and night in flat calm seas. The wind started to swing around to the N during the night but was flukey in strength. It finally filled in at first light and engine went off! Making steady progress.
24 Hour Run: 136 n/m
Total Run: 429 n/m
Distance to Run: 441 n/m

New Cal to Australia Day 2

The wind finally swung more into the South and we could turn the engine off. We had a great sail with winds around the 15 knot mark and good boat speed. The sea was a little lumpy but nothing too bad. We held good wind all day and into the night. We started to see the wind veer more the east during the night and by midnight it had swung to the NE and died completely. Engine back on and we motored over glassy seas for the rest of the night.
24 Hour Run: 140n/m
Run to date: 283 n/m
Distance to Run: 577 n/m

New Cal to Australia Day 1

After an early night and a long sleep we awoke early and started doing the final jobs (washing up etc!). We pulled the anchor up at 8am and left Noumea bay. There is a large reef around the bottom of New Caledonia and it took us until 11am to clear the reef and start the deep water sailing. Unfortunately the wind was quite tight (SSW) and a little too tight for Newtsville's downwind genoa, so we motor sailed for the first 24 hours. It was a cold night and the seas were a little lumpy at first but seemed to calm down as dawn broke.
24 Hour Run: 143 n/m
Distance to Run: 715 n/m

Monday 28th Sept - Noumea, New Caledonia

An early start in the search for new engine mounts. We first went to the customs headquarters to get a permit for tax free spare parts for the boat - a long conversation in French and we were told to return later! We then went to the marine industrial area (a 45 min walk) where they told us we could get them at another shop, a 1 hour walk in the other direction. We eventually (hot and tired) got to the other store to find they did have engine mounts, and 4 on the shelf, but only 2 the right size for us. We bought the two (convincing the shop to give them to us tax free even though we still didn't have the permit from customs) and headed back to the boat.
Warren from Memphis and I installed the two new engine mounts (we replaced the failed one and the other one on the port side which felt the worst of the other 3) quite quickly (less than an hour in total) and then we helped Memphis with some computer problems in return! Kate meanwhile set off to see customs again and managed to get our tax free permit so we had it if needed!
We did some internet jobs at McDonalds (free wifi - shame you need to buy an icecream to use it!!!) before heading to Memphis for tea with them and another Kiwi couple off Baikal. We had a lovely evening - only interrupted at 10pm when we had to nip back to McDonalds to make a Skype call to the UK tax office (who have eventually got all our papers, have processed them and should be giving us our overpaid tax back any day!!). A long day, but the weather looks good and we are hoping to leave on Wednesday for Australia.

Tuesday 29th September - Noumea, New Caledonia

Another early start to get ourselves ready to leave. We did showers, cut Jonny's hair, filled the water tanks and tieded the boat up. Then it was off to see customs, immigration and the port captain (all on the other side of town a 30 min walk away) to get our clearance papers to leave on Wednesday. Back at the boat and we were ready to leave. We fired up the engine and it made a terrible knocking noise - our hearts sank! We fiddled with it a bit and then decided to see how it ran, so we motored over to the fuel berth to fill up with diesel. It didn't sound too bad (certainly better than it was when under way) but not good in idle. We decided to head back to the marina to see if Warren off Memphis could lend his expert ear to our new knocking noise. We caught Memphis just as they were about to leave and they thankfully were more than happy to come and help us. Warren and Jonny had a quick look and two heads being better than one (Warren's quite a bit better when it comes to engines according to J!) dediced the new engine mounts were a little low. They lifted them and the knocking noise went away! They then set to trying to stop the rattling on the propshaft we had had since Bonaire, and by lifting the engine up slightly on the mounts managed to stop that too. We left the marina and motored around the harbour for 30 mins to make sure the mounts were nicely bedded in - the engine has never sounded so smooth since the day we bought her!!
We are currently anchored in the bay off Noumea having a relaxing afternoon before we set off tomorrow morning for the 840 mile leg to Coffs Harbour in Australia - we are hoping to arrive early next week.

Sunday 27th Sept - Noumea, New Caledonia

After a long and very needed sleep we woke to a glorious day in sunny New Caledonia. It was to be a day of jobs! We headed over to the market and got some veggies, and then to the supermarket for some bits. Then onto the serious boat work. J went up the mast to replace the cups on the wind speed instrument (a bird had landed on it and broken it), and also to put the flag halyard back on (which fell out). It was then bimini cleaning time, J doing the stainless tubing and K cleaning the canvas on the dock. Warren from Memphis came over to help J with some jobs and so K decided to clean the brass door handles through the boat! Warren and J managed started to investigate a knocking noise which had been coming from the engine for a few weeks and had been getting worse on the trip here. We knew we had a slight bend in the prop shaft, but the noises we were getting were not consistent with that. After some probing we found a broken engine mount (there are 4 mounts which attach the engine to the boat - they basically transfer all the power of the engine to the boat and also stop the engine falling over in big seas!). Warren helped us jack the engine up and remove the mount so we're off to see if we can find a new one tomorrow - no leaving New Caledonia without one!! Warren and J also repaired the genoa track we had bent on the way from Fiji - a big heat gun and a hammer and in no time at all it was straight again and back down on the deck! All in all, a productive day with lots done, the worry over the engine noise is now resolved, but the new worry is whether we can get the new part and how much it will cost!!
A nice evening beer with Warren and Alison off Memphis (a free beer at the bar when you use the marina!) before back to Newt for tea and more sleep!

Day 5 - Fiji to New Caledonia

We sailed well overnight with just the headsail out making between 4 and 5 knots as planned. The wind swung to the SE so we could easily head for the reef pass. At 5am we were 6 miles away and so put the engine on for the final approach. We hit the pass at exactly 6am and rendezvoused with Memphis who left Fiji the same day as us. The pass was straight forward and we spent the rest of the morning motoring in flat calm seas throughout the reefs and islands off the south of the main island. We entered the main harbour in Noumea at 12:00 (11:00 local time) and secured in the marina. We got the quarantine lady and immigration man to the boat (quarantine was upset as we had no fruit veggies or meat for her to take off us!) and then wandered into town. We had a McDonalds for lunch (it never tastes as good as you expect - even after a week at sea!) and then wondered to the chandlers and the supermarket. With sealant to seal the deck after I repair the bent track tomorrow and a baguette we headed back to the boat. We'll sleep well tonight! Watching the weather now for a nice window to do the 840 mile leg to Coffs Harbour ... AUSTRALIA!!

Day 4 - Fiji to New Caledonia

Well, they say these things come in 3's! Firstly we ran the day tank for the engine a little low yesterday afternoon and a wave came causing the fuel to slosh around and air to get into the diesel lines. This meant replacing both the fuel filters and bleeding the engine (which took several attempts!) in a big swell - not much fun! We motored all night and then switched the engine off this morning to slow down - we drifted for a couple of hours before the wind filled in. During the drift we tried to stop the engine from knocking (which has been getting worse since Tonga - diagnosed as a bent prop shaft in Fiji - needs a new one in Australia asap!) by adjusting the stern gland - its no better (if anything slightly worse!) so more tinkering needed when the seas drop (or when we arrive). The wind finally filled in around 10am and we had a good close hauled sail. I (Jonny) moved the genoa tracks back to the back of the track to try and get more speed - a gust came and bent the back of the track ripping it off the deck - nightmare (another Noumea repair!). We are now motoring (with the engine knocking when on big waves come!) with the staysail out to steady us. Should be at the pass first light tomorrow to time the tides and head inside the reef for the 50 mile passage to Noumea.
24 Hour Run: 125n/m
Distance to Pass: 75n/m

Day 3 - Fiji to New Caledonia

We had steady winds in the 20 knot region all afternoon and then just before dark the wind swung more the east so we had to pull the genoa around onto the pole to windward. Still good winds though and making good speed. During the night the wind continued to swing more to the NE and so we headed more south to prevent having to gybe in the night. At 7am we gybed and the wind dropped so the engine went on. We had a quick squall with 20 knots from the SW and some rain (!) and now we are in zero wind motoring towards New Caledonia.
24 Hour Run: 156 n/m
Distance to Reef Pass: 200 n/m

Day 2 - Fiji to New Caledonia

Another windy day! We snugged down another reef in the main and furled away half the headsail just before dark and were still making over 6.5 knots on average. The wind stayed that way all night and with dark skies. One huge wave broke over the boat and found the hatch over our back cabin which wasn't fully dogged down - cue one wet bed and an unhappy and wet Kate who was sleeping in it at the time!
Nicer day today with blue skies mostly and winds steady.
24 Hr Run: 154 n/m
Distance to Pass: 383 n/m

Day 1 - Fiji to New Caledonia

An early start this morning as we wanted to be on the fuel berth when it opened at 8am to top up the diesel tanks and needed to get the dinghy on deck and fill up the water tanks. We left the berth at 7.50 but were beaten to the fuel dock by a tourist boat and a small boat with about 20 jerry jugs. We hovered in the basin but by 8.30 the fuel dock was still closed so we went alongside a pontoon to pay our marina bill and spend the rest of our Fiji money before heading to Lautoka to clear out.
On the way out of the marina we met Ishka in their dinghy who had been out to rescue Drimia off the reef. Orono 1 had ended up pulling them off.
We made it to Lautoka and dropped the anchor. Jonny gave Andy (Drimia) a lift ashore to check out as his outboard had stopped working and i called Jane to make sure she was ok after their reef experience. The boys were back quicker than expected and we were soon on our way back to the marina to fuel up.
A brief stop in the marina to top up the fuel tanks and then on our way to the reef pass. Head winds and tide against meant we didnt reach the reef pass til 4pm.
Once through the pass the wind was just forward of the beam and the auto pilot was struggling with full main so we put a reef in and that helped.
Overnight the wind died so we put the engine on and then the wind swung round to right behind us so we couldnt set the genoa without the pole and it was too dark and rolly to set the pole so we motored most of the night.
In the morning we turned the engine off and set the genoa and have been sailing even since.

Distance travelled on Day 1 from Vuda Point: 137n/m
Distance remaining to New Caledonia pass: 511n/m

20th Sept, Vuda Point Marina, Fij

A busy morning - Jonny did an engine oil change and i took advantage of the fact that the internet was working to send some e mails and update the journal page with Fiji pictures.
We had a relaxing afternoon watching a dvd and eating ice cream.
We headed over to Blues (Bertel and Brita) who were having problems with their computer for Jonny to help. We have met Blues on and off since the Tuamotus but this was the first time we had had a proper chat with them. Afterwards Drimia came over for a drink as well.
From Blues we headed to Ishka to collect our memory stick with some new pictures on it and ended up having a drink. Drimia also arrived and then Jeff (Nemesis). We are unsure when we are going to see Ishka again as they are staying in Fiji for a while and then heading to New Zealand. They are a great couple and we hope we cross paths again soon.

19th Sept, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji

A busy day doing boat jobs – 3 loads of washing, cleaning the dinghy, polishing the coach house roof (the white bits on deck that aren't teak!!), cleaning the rope bags and cleaning the bathrooms.
At 5pm Drimia (Andy and Jane) and Ishka (Ian and Ida) came over for drinks and to look at Newt. For tea we were having sausages and Drima said they were using their bbq so to come and cook our sausages with them. When we went over they decided they had enough sausages so they fed us a lovely meal of sausage, salad and couscous.
We headed over to the yacht club to watch the New Zealand v Australia rugby match. The New Zealand boats sat on one side, the Australia on the other side and we sat in the middle with Jonny wearing his new Fiji rugby top!!

18th Sept, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji

We woke up this morning to more rain so decided to head into Lautoka to do our final provisioning.
We spoke to Vagabond Heart on the VHF and were hoping to meet up with them in Lautoka.
We shared a taxi into town with Drimia and then went to do our shopping including buying anew handbag for me and a Fiji rugby top for Jonny.
We bumped into Vagabond Heart and Lucey Blue in the supermarket. After completing our shopping we went to a nearby café for lunch. It was great to catch up with Vagabond Heart and Lucey Blue as we havent seen them since the Marquesas.
After lunch we headed back to Newt and after paying Mikado for the battery charger Jonny went to help Drimia with a gear box oil change and I fixed our fly screen as we got attached by mossies last night.
Another early night as tomorrow Jonny wants to watch the rugby game at the resort.

17th Sept, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji

We woke up this morning to grey skies, rain and the wind picking up. We were going to head back to the marina tomorrow but decided we might as well head back today if the weather was rubbish and we would just be sat on the boat.
After the first rain shower the weather seemed to brighten up abit and we were having a nice motor sail under the genoa back down the Yasawas.
Around lunchtime we were hit by a huge squall – 50 knot winds on the nose and torrential rain. The 50 knot winds lasted for 10 mins before easing to around 40 knots!! Jonny was getting soaking trying to keep us on the correct course in the wind and I was down below keeping an eye on his course as we were heading through a narrow pass with reef either side. The rain came through in patches but the wind didn't and for the next 5 hours we had around 30 knots of wind on the nose as we tried to head to the marina before dark - our speed dropped down to less than 2 knots at times due to the wind strength and some huge waves.
We should have arrived at the marina about 2.30 and we eventually pulled in around 5pm. We were offered the fuel berth or the buoy in the middle so we chose the buoy in the middle as it required less effort!!
After a much needed shower to warm Jonny up I fed him some rice pudding as we had only been able to eat some crackers all day. We had a very early tea and settled down to watch dvds.

16th Sept, Drawaya Island, Yasawas, Fiji

We finally managed to get the dinghy ashore – it was low tide and the surrounding shoreline had dried out to reef making the beach inaccessible.
We headed to the village and met the fishing guy from yesterday who invited us into his house. He had collected some papaya for us and we gave him some snorkel masks. He had some shell necklaces for sale but they weren't anything special.
He took us on a tour of the village which was much bigger than it looked from the sea. There are about 200 people living there. Across the hill is a resort and they have given the village a lot of money for school and generators. We had a stop at the school where we took them some pencils, crayons, baseball caps and a game. Each item was met with a 'aahhh' or a 'ooohhh' as it was pulled out of the bag!! The children were very cute and sang some songs for us although a couple were too busy eyeing up the gifts to sing!!
We headed back to Newt and pulled up the anchor to carry on to the next island – a short 8 mile trip. We had a scary moment as we headed out of the bay and our depth dropped rom 30m to 8m in an instant – there was nothing marked on our chart but a lot of the Yasawas is uncharted or the charts aren't very reliable – obviously we had found a patch of uncharted reef luckily the depth rose back up just as quickly.
We found a bay on the next island but there was some swell. There was a pass through to another bay which should have 4m depth so after we anchored Jonny went to check it out in the dinghy. As he was in the dinghy another yacht went through the pass so we knew it was deep enough.
We were unsure about going through the pass as the bay on the other side wasn't protected from the wind if it swung back round to trade winds so decided to stay where we were.
We went snorkeling from the dinghy – tying the dinghy to us and dragging it behind us. The coral was amazing – the best coral we have seen since Bonaire.
When we got back to Newt the swell had got worse so we decided to move through the pass. The other anchorage was flat calm and we found a good sandy patch to anchor in.
We invited Andy (Calysta) over for dinner and had a good evening. After Fiji we wont see Andy again until he comes to visit us in Sydney!

15th Sept, Waya Island, Yasawas, Fiji

An early start this morning as we wanted to head up to the Yasawas for a few days. Unfortunately there was no wind so we had to motor the 50 miles to Waya Island. We had looked at a couple of anchorages on the chart but as we motored up the side of the island they were all exposed to the swell. We eventually found a calm anchorage on the top of the island near a village.
As we were anchoring a local guy on a surf board fishing directed us to the best spot. He invited us over to the village that evening but we were tired and wanted a night on the boat so agreed to go ashore in the morning.

14th Sept, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji

We were heading back to Vuda Point today to celebrate Kirsty's (Nemesis) birthday. Kirstys partner Jeff had had to fly back to the USA yesterday on family business so Kirsty was going to be alone for her birthday so we decided to head back to help her celebrate.
We left Musket Cove early to give us time to head into Lautoka from the marina if we decided we needed anything from town.
We arrived in the marina at 10am and after much needed showers felt abit more human. We decided we didn't need to head into Lautoka so spent the afternoon chatting to people and doing some boat jobs.
We headed to the resort for $10 pizza for Kirstys birthday. There was about 18 people in the end as other people had decided to come back as well so it was a great night.

13th Sept, Malolo Lailai, Fiji

A rainy day meant that we spent the day relaxing on the boat watching dvds.

12th Sept, Malolo Lailai, Fiji

We headed ashore for a walk this morning and chatted to people ashore.
After lunch on Newt I had a much needed siesta (too much partying last week!!) and Jonny mounted our new (second hand) battery charger.
After dinner Jonny headed ashore to watch the New Zealand v South Africa rugby match whilst I had a quiet night in.

11th Sept, Malolo Lailai, Fiji

We have had a great time at Musket Cove but are ready for some relaxing time. We headed ashore to buy bread and say goodbye to people as after this week we are going to be moving quicker than most other boats.
We finally got back to Newt at midday and picked up the anchor. We were heading to the other end of the island but not exactly sure where. We picked a nice bay off a resort which should have been protected when the wind swung round to the prevailing direction as it has done all week.
After a couple of hours of bumpy anchorage we decided to give up on the wind and head back to Musket Cove where we knew despite the wind the sea would be flat.
Back at Musket Cove we found a space to anchor – unfortunately our good spot had been taken.
Jeff and Kirsty came over for dinner and we had a lovely evening with them. We are looking forward to spending time with them in Sydney and doing some more racing on Nemesis.

10th Sept, Malolo Lailai, Fiji

An early start this morning as Jonny was racing in the hobie cats. Team Silk Sheets had had to drop out of the quarter finals so Jonny and Ian (Ishka) were taking their place. Despite a well sailed race they lost.
We headed back to the boat for breakfast/ lunch and decided to enter in the best dressed dinghy competition this afternoon. We made a mast for the dinghy using the boat hook and headed ashore with flags and 'monkey' (our figurehead) to decorate the dinghy. With Jeffs (Nemesis) help we ended up with a great looking dinghy.
We paraded around the lagoon – unfortunately the dinghy didn't like idling for so long and cut out again. We came 2nd in the dinghy competition and Jonny (now an expert dinghy repairer) managed to quickly fix the dinghy.
This evening was prize giving but the prize giving meal was too expensive so we decided to bbq with Nemesis before heading to the prize giving for the free cocktail party. The prize giving was being held during the meal (after the cocktail party) so we needed to eat before the cocktail party.
For 2nd place in the best dressed dinghy competition we won 2 bottles of champagne. We put one on ice and drank it that night and have saved the other for when we arrive in Australia.
We had a great night at the prize giving including lots of dancing at the disco – Jonny was teaching 16 yr old Nick (Mikado) some of his dance moves!!

The regatta has been a great week and a great chance to catch up with friends and make new friends. There has been some controversy over the big yacht races – with boats using their engine during the start to motor head to wind up the line but on the whole it has been a well organized and fun week.

9th Sept, Malolo Lailai, Fiji

Today was the big yachting race – the race around Malolo island – about 25 miles. We were crew on Nemesis again.
We headed ashore at 10am for some pre race messing before leaving the marina and heading towards the start.
After a good start we made our way up the first beat in 4th place. Round the top of the island we hoisted the spinnaker and made good progress. Ahead of us the wind died and we could see the 2 monohulls stuck in no wind. We kept our wind for as long as possible and over took the 2 monohulls but then ran out of wind.
Unfortunately the wind filled in from behind and the rest of the fleet came powering through. We battled up the last leg and managed to finish in 7th place.
It was a good days race with a frustrating finsh!!
Back in the marina after a beer Jane (Drimia) and I went for a swim before we headed back to Newt. I stayed on Newt with a headache (despite trying to drink lots I still ended up dehydrated) and Jonny went ashore for curry night.

8th Sept, Malolo Lailai, Fiji

Jonny took the outboard apart again this morning and after cleaning it all out went ashore to buy some new petrol. Back at Newt the outboard was put back in the water and with fingers crossed we tried to start it but no luck.
After convincing Jonny not to drop the outboard over the side we put it in the dinghy and took it ashore to see if anyone could help us. We met Ben (Silk Sheets) on his way to the bar and asked his advice as he has fixed his outboards before and another New Zealand guy stopped to help. The outboard went into the bar and the guys started working. Not sure the other people in the bar appreciated the petrol fumes and noisy outboard!! The problem was found to be a stuck float in the carburetor and after some fiddling was fixed. We took the dinghy out to Newt to test it and (fingers crossed) it seems to be running well again.
In the afternoon I headed to the pool with the girls whilst Jonny and the guys moved on to trying to fix Jeffs (Nemesis) outboard.
After speaking to Ian (Mikado) about buying his battery charger we headed back to Newt for dinner.
We headed back ashore for the Island Princess night which had a child, male and female section. The children were very cute, the men slightly worrying and the women pretty. There were 30 male entries and about 10 female!! There is a wedding here tomorrow so a lot of the guests were in the bar – they must think Yachties are a strange bunch!!

7th Sept, Malolo Lailai, Fiji

Today was the first of the serious yacht races. We had been invited as crew on Nemesis as Jonny had decided he wasn't racing Newt anymore.
We put the engine back on the dinghy and it started but cut out. After several attempts it wasn't starting so we radioed Nemesis to pick us up on the way to the start. Also on Nemesis were Ishka and Andy (Drimia).
The race was through the start, round a mark marking the edge of the reef, a beat to a mark 2 miles out and then back to the finish line. After a reasonable start we made good progress up the beat. Rounding the windward mark behind a 2 catamarans and 2 monohulls we were pleased with the beat. Back to the finish line despite some spinnaker pole issues we managed to pass one of the monohulls but another one was gaining. As we headed round the reef some indecision as to were the finish line was meant we lost one or maybe even two places but it was a good race and we are looking forward to the big race on wed.
After the race we anchored off the sandbar for an afternoon of fun activities. There was a beer drinking competiton, hairy chest competition and wet t shirt competition – none of which we entered but that provide good entertainment! And I did manage to get a free t shirt from the wet t shirt competition!! The final activity was a tug of war – New Zealand against the Rest of the World which the Rest of the World won!!
Back at Newt Jonny spent the afternoon trying to fix the outboard – replacing the fuel, checking the spark plugs but it is still not working properly. We are going to borrow T Rexs spare outboard for the rest of the week while we carry on trying to fix ours. Tomorrow we are going to buy some new fuel to make sure that there is no water/ dirt in our fuel.
We headed ashore in the evening for a bbq. The bar has bbq grills that you can use and sells potatoes, garlic bread and salad to go with your meat. We had a lovely evening with Andy (Calysta), Lynn (White Hawk) and her guests Fernlee and Tony and Jane and Andy (Drimia).

6th Sept, Malolo Lailai, Fiji

Today was the day we had been waiting for – hobie cat racing. It was a beach start around a triangle course and through a finish line. We were against Paul (White Hawk) and his guest. After the coin toss we ended up with the leeward boat on the beach but lined up ready to go. We made good progress up the beat but a bad tack near the first mark had us stuck in irons whilst the White Hawk hobie got away. As we rounded the first mark they were half a leg ahead of us!! Some good boat handling (and lots of pumping) had us gaining fast. We rounded the 2nd mark just behind them and headed over the top of them … unfortunately the leg wasn't quite long enough and we got beaten by a whisker – ending our hobie cat dreams!!
We headed back to the boat to do some jobs before heading back ashore for the swap meet, sausage bbq and golf!! Initially we weren't interested in the golf but having been assured it was open to everyone and have played before wasn't an advantage we decided to team up with T Rex (Del and Gary). Unfortunately towards the end of the swap met the heavens opened and it started raining and as it looked like it was in for the afternoon the golf was cancelled.
We made a dash back to the boat and spent the afternoon watching dvds. As the rain started to ease Jonny decided to head ashore to get some bread for breakfast however only made it halfway before the engine stopped working. He was rescued by a friendly cruiser and brought back to Newt. He then spent the early evening stripping the engine down (again!!) and after cleaning everything out it seemed to be working again. After a dinner and a final dvd we headed to bed.

5th Sept - Congratulations Elaine and Dave

Congratulations to our good friends Elaine and Dave who got married today. We are very sorry we couldnt be there to help you celebrate but are sure you had a brilliant day. Have a fab time on your honeymoon in Greece. Lots of love xx

5th Sept, Malolo Lailai, Fiji

An early start this morning as Jonny was very excited about the pirates day dressing up - we were dressed and ready by 7.30am!! We had to be on Ishka by 9am so i managed to stall Jonny until 8.30am!!
Everyone looked great in their pirate costumes. On Ishka were Ida and Ian (Ishka), Idas sister Debbie, Ben (Silk Sheets) and his friend Ben, Finn and Reidunor (Hilde), Frank (Menja), Jeff and Kirsty (Nemesis) and Kirstys friend Louise and us.
The start of the race to Beachcomer Island was at 10am - most of the fleet was over the start line and it was abit crazy for a while as we tried to navigate the reefs and avoid the other boats who were trying to get close to throw water bombs!!
We made it safely to Beachcomber where we were attached by Beachcomer Pirates as we landed on the shore.
After our rum innoculation there was a tug of war and a limbo competition which were good fun followed by a buffet lunch.
At 3pm we headed back to Ishka for the journey back to Malolo Lailai. Unfortunately on the way back another boat came to close to try and throw water bombs and ended up scratching the side of Ishka.
Safely back in the marina we had a few more drinks with Ishka before heading back to Newt for dinner and bed.

4th Sept, Malolo Lailai, Fiji

Jonny spent the morning servicing the outboard engine and stripping down the carburetor. We then went ashore to see all of our friends who were arriving.
Kate spent the majority of the day socialising with the girls off Ishka and Nemesis and making pirate outfits for tomorrow's festivities. Jonny meanwhile went off with the boys from Nemesis and Silk Sheets to steel wood from the airport workshop and then spent the whole afternoon with powertools and spray paint making wooden swords and daggers for the pirate day (complete with coconut shell handles, sprayed silver and with red blood stains ... boys and toys!).
We then went to the opening ceremony for the regatta in which there are now over 80 boats. The whole event is free due to local sponsorship, including the opening night free bar and bbq! Each nation was asked to stand and sing their national anthem during the ceremony - there was a large contingent of Kiwi's, Ozzie's and Americans, but we were joined by 3 other Brits to give a strong rendition of 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' (in response to the NZ Haka which was performed) and then a slightly unsure version of 'God Save the Queen' (really who knows ALL the words!!??)

3rd Sept, Malolo Lailai, Fiji

We went ashore to check out the restaurants in the different resorts ashore to decide where we wanted to go for our wedding anniversary meal. We found a nice restaurant and headed back to Newt via Silk Sheets for a cup of tea.
After lunch we headed back ashore to lend our battery chargers to Ishka and buy a tub of ice cream. The weather was drizzly today so we decided to have a afternoon watching a dvd and eating ice cream!
We headed ashore to our restaurant and had a lovely meal and evening.

2nd Sept, Malolo Lailai, Fiji

After saying goodbye to Christine Anne and Sunchaser who we wont see again til Australia and other friends in the marina we gave the decks a final fresh water hose and filled the water tanks and left the marina.
We motored out to Malolo Lailai Island where the Musket Cove regatta is being held. We arrived just after lunch and found a good anchoring spot. The island looks amazing - the bay is surrounded by white sandy beaches. After lunch we headed ashore to explore and saw Ishka in the marina. After saying hello to them we register for the regatta and went for a walk through the resort.
Back on Newt we had a relaxing afternoon and a early dinner before enjoying a quiet night on board.

1st September, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji

A busy day of socialising today. The marina is filling up with people we have met on our travels as there is a big regatta at one of the nearby islands next week that alot of people are attending - they are expecting over 70 boats.

Christine Anne returned to Fiji with a new spinnaker and sock so there old sock was donated to us as we have sailed from the UK without one. Using the spinnaker without one has been manageable but we had had to be very conservative about the wind strength we use it in otherwise it gets to hard to take down - with the sock this should be much easier.

We went out for dinner with Christine Anne, Sunchaser, Calysta and Honeymoon to celebrate Russ's birthday and had a lovely evening.

31st August, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji

An early start to the day - lifted back into the water at 7.30am! We had another ride through the boat yard in the crane on Newt and got safely back into the water.
After breakfast we got a taxi into Lautoka with Nemesis to do some provisioning at the fruit market and saw White Hawk, Ishka and Hilde in town.
BAck at Newt just enough time to put the shopping away before i headed off to the butchers with Orono 1 and T Rex. There is a Australian butchers nearby which will vacuum pack the meat for you. The butchers was great and once we had ordered our meat we headed to a shopping mall in the nearby resort area.
Whilst i was shopping Jonny did some laundry and other boat jobs.
Once the meat was packed away we went to say hello the Sunchaser and Christine Anne arrived back so we went out for cheap pizza night at the resort. It was lovely to catch up with Sunchaser and Christine Anne again.

28th - 30th August, On the Hard, Fiji

A very busy 3 days on the hard ... re anti fouling, touching in the red stripe, repairing the rope cutter, replacing the anodes, changing the anode bolts and polishing.
We were very grateful for our luxurious cabin on Orono 1 - it was great after a days work to be able to shut the boat up and go somewhere else to sleep.

27th August, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji

At 8am we were ready to get hauled out. The lift went well and Newt was put safely in her cradles. The scary part was that we weren't made to get off the boat whilst it was in the crane so we had a free ride across the boatyard!!
We wanted to lift out because the Sea Hawk anti fouling we put on in Grenada has been disappointing. We put on 2 coats of black and 2 coats of red and by the time we were in the Marquises you could see patches of red and even patches of green (original coppercoat). The anti foul is good in that nothing grows on it but it is far too soft – even the slightest touch brings off paint.
We thought that the anti fouling would easily come off with the pressure wash – the black paint fell off but the red wasn't moving. We sanded the bow for 2 hours and couldn't bring all the red off so we did the best we could and are going to paint over the red. We have decided that we must have had a bad batch of black paint for it to fall off so easily.
We had a busy day sanding the bottom, cleaning the topsides and touching in the red stripe so we are ready to anti foul tomorrow.

26th August, Vuda Point Marina, Fiji

After I wrote the blog yesterday evening Orono 1 and T rex arrived in the marina. Orono invited us over for drinks and we ended going to the Yacht Club for dinner via T Rex for drinks. The food was abit disappointing but it was great to spend an evening with Orono and T Rex.
We had heard about a cheap room rate at the nearby resort for yachties when they are on the hard and had been tempted as a treat however as we had decided to haul out for 4 nights we decided it would be too expensive. Orono is a Privilege 495 with a spare cabin which they have offered to us while we are on the hard which we gratefully accepted.

Our aim today was to get Jonnys tax forms completed and couriered to the UK – we managed to get internet this morning and get the information he required to complete the forms. We went to the marina office to see if they could photocopy a letter for us and to ask about the best option for a courier. The lady in the office was very helpful and directed us to the airport for the DHL office.
We got the bus to the airport where DHL had an office and got the form sent.
After lunch on the boat we did boat jobs – de weevilling pasta, cleaning the dinghy and cleaning the front cabin. Orono has a proper vacuum cleaner on board so I was in heaven vacuuming the boat!!
After a busy day we had an early tea and watched a dvd.

Vuda Point Marina 25th August

We woke up this morning to Newt covered in black ash from the sugar processing plant on the dock.
We picked up the anchor and headed to Vuda Point marina to fuel up and hopefully sort out a haul out. We fueled up and hosed the boat down and moved into the marina. After looking into anti fouling we bought some paint and booked our haul out for thurs.
We found out the nearby resort allows yachties to use the pool if you buy a drink so we went for a drink and a swim. The weather has been much better since we arrived in Fiji (blue skies again!!) and a swim was much needed!

24th August, Lautoka, Fiji

We left our secret hideaway anchorage (you are not meant to stop anywhere on your way to clear in in Fiji but weekends have big overtime costs and it would have been dark by the time we arrived in Lautoka) this morning to head round to Lautoka. We headed ashore to clear customs and immigration and then the health man came back out to Newt with us in the dinghy which was an adventure as he was a large Fijian man!!
We headed into town to get some fresh food. We had been to Lautoka before on our honeymoon and remembered it as a grubby, slightly scary town but found it completely different today. It seemed much nicer and friendlier - not sure if the town has changed or we have!! We had a great time at the market and a lovely lunch in a cafe. We managed to buy some new hair clippers for Jonny and a Fiji SIM card ($5 for the card with $5 credit!!).
Another early night tonight to recover from the passage.

Day 5 Tonga to Fiji

We had blue skies this morning which made for a pleasant change from the overcast weather of the rest of the trip.
We tried to sail for a while but the wind was fluctuating too much in strength and we werent going quick enough to make the reef pass in daylight.
We arrived at the pass at 4.30pm and anchored in Momi Bay nearby.
After much needed showers we had a relaxing evening watching dvds.

Day 4 Tonga to Fiji

After more motor sailing this afternoon we managed to turn the engine off and sail for 3 hours before the wind swung back round onto the nose!!

Day 4 distance traveled: 130n/m

Day 3 Tonga to Fiji

An uneventful day spent motor sailing into head winds. It is frustrating not being able to sail but we are making good progress and giving the batteries a good charge!!

Day 3 distance traveled: 123n/m

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Day 2 Tonga to Fiji

A very grey and overcast morning with the wind dying so we motored for the morning before it filled in again just after lunch.
We had a nice sail for the afternoon but in the evening the wind started swinging around and by 8pm it was on the nose so we turned the engine on and motored overnight.

Day 2 distance traveled: 122n/m

Day 1 Tonga to Fiji

We were sad to leave Tonga this morning after a great 3 weeks exploring and relaxing but we need to keep moving and are looking forward to Fiji.
We had a great sail under main and genoa until dark when the wind started swinging around and the genoa couldnt decide which side it wanted to be on so we furled it away and sailed for the rest of the night under main.

Distance traveled on Day 1: 131n/m

18th August, Neiafu, Tonga

We headed ashore this morning to clear out and get final bits. Clearing out was a straight forward task but meant a walk around town to visit the different offices.
We got some fresh bread and other bits before collecting our washing and heading back to Newt.
After lunch we went alongside the Aquarium dock to fill up with water. It is quite a rickety dock so Karl, Navara offered to come and catch our lines for us. The water pressure wasn't great so it took us about 1 hour to fill up our tanks!!
Back on our mooring buoy Jonny went up the mast to realigned our wind instruments and then Narava came over for a drink to say goodbye before we headed off for Fiji. It was great to meet Linda and Karl and hopefully we might met again if we get to visit New Zealand.
On our way ashore we decided to say hello to an American boat called Honeymoon who we have seen in a couple of places but never met properly. They are a young couple on their honeymoon and are heading to Sydney where they might stay for a while. We ended up having a few drinks with them and had a lovely time so we hope to see them again soon.
We headed ashore for some drinks and dinner with Miss Molly and Narava and had a lovely evening. After paying for our meal we donated our remaining Tongan money to the collection for the ferry disaster which has devasted the area and hope it goes to a good cause. The plan is for the money to be split between the 25 families in the island group who have been affected.

17th August, Neiafu, Tonga

While we were talking to Drimea on our way to town the Moorings support boat told us he needed our mooring later in the day so we would have to move. We knew that Andy was leaving his Aquarium buoy sp we planned to take that once he left.
We headed into town and dropped off our laundry and paid for our mooring buoy from around the anchorage when we bumped into Andy. He was heading back to Calysta and leaving his buoy so we decided to leave the rest of our jobs so we didn't miss the chance to get his buoy … after we had been sat on Newt for over an hour he finally stopped whizzing round in his dinghy doing other jobs and left his buoy!!
Back in town we carried on doing our jobs getting ready to leave for Fiji on Wed before heading back to Newt.
Equinox had arrived this morning so we headed over to say hello – it was good to have the chance to catch up with them before we left for Fiji.
James, Miss Molly, radioed us to see if we wanted to head ashore for a drink and a game of pool so we wanted for a break in the rain and headed ashore. The bar with the pool table was closed so we went to the CocoNet Café instead and watched the torrential rain. Eventually the rain stopped enough for us to leave and we headed to Aquarium for some dinner. As we were leaving Equinox arrived at Aquarium and convinced us to stay for another drink.

16th August, Neiafu, Tonga

The on and off showers meant that we had a relaxing morning on the boat. After lunch we took the dinghy to explore the harbour and after dinner Jeff and Merel (Miss Molly) came for a drink.

15th August, Neiafu, Tonga

We woke up this morning to bright blue skies which was a nice change.
After breakfast we headed ashore to the market to stock up on some fresh vegetables and other supplies.
After lunch on the boat we headed ashore for the fundraiser. Some of the cruisers and one of the local restaurants had organized a cruiser fundraiser to raise money for the families of the ferry disaster in which it seems that approx 90 people died. As part of the fundraiser there was a bbq, silent auction, Tongan dancing and people getting thrown in the harbour!!
We checked out the auction and caught up with some people and then Jonny dropped me off at Orono 1. Donna had arranged a jewelry making afternoon for the girls with Giselle from Monkey Feet who makes jewelry using stones and sterling silver wire. It was a lot harder than it looks but I ended up with a lovely necklace. Whilst I was doing this Jonny took our old dinghy ashore to sell it to one of the restaurant owners. He managed to sell it and got a good price for it.
We headed back ashore for the results of the auction and to watch the dancing which was a very relaxed dance after the knee knocking Polynesian dancing.
As we hadn't managed to buy any meat ashore (supplies are starting to get low in town due to the ferry sinking) and we had sold the dinghy we decided to treat ourselves to dinner out again.
Chriselle joined us for dinner which was great as they are heading off to Fiji tomorrow and as they are heading to a different part we are unsure when we will cross paths again.

14th August, Neiafu, Tonga

After a blustery night at our anchorage we headed back to town after breakfast. We are planning on spending the weekend and the beginning of the week in town catching up with people and getting ready to head to Fiji.
After picking up a buoy (we are not yet sure whose??!!) Andy came over for a coffee and then we headed into town where we met White Hawk, Ishka and Orono 1 in one of the cafes.
From the cafe we picked up some bread and postcards and then headed back to the boat. We decided to drop the bread off and then go and see a couple of other boats. After we dropped off the bread we were met by a dinghy where the guy asked us if Newt was a Colvic (only the second person to recognise her!!) - he is from Ipswich near where the Colvic were originally made and said they had been his dream boat. He invited us back to his boat for a drink - he is crew on a 66ft oyster called Miss Molly. A cup of tea turned into a couple of beers as we watched the Friday night race from the back of their boat with Navara.
From Miss Molly we headed to the Yacht Club to catch up with the others. James (one of the crew from Miss Molly, he is 17 and his dad (Jeff) is the captain) asked us if he could join us for dinner which was great. He is a very ambitious 17 yr old who wants to end up working in the yacht industry. We hope that all his plans work out and he is successful. After dinner at the Aquarium we headed back to the Yacht Club for another drink and then back to Newt.

13th August, Vaka Eitu, Tonga

Another overcast and windy day in Tonga. We have loved it here but the weather hasnt been great and this morning i had to dig out our blankets because it was so cold last night!!
Moasi, Ian and Julia and Navara, Karl and Linda came over for coffee this morning. Navara brought some lovely banana and chocolate chip cake and Moasi some chocolate brownies (which Jonny said was yummy but I couldnt eat because it had almonds in it :( ).
After lunch we headed ashore for a walk and enjoyed one of our favorite Pacific pastimes - exploring resort ruins!!
After some jobs on the boat we headed over to Navara for drinks and had a nice evening chatting to them. They are from New Zealand and exploring Tonga for a season but are planning to do a longer trip in the future and were asking our advice about different things we had on the boat and what works and doesnt. It was nice to be able to pass on some of the things we have learnt throughout the year.

12th August, Vaka Eitu, Tonga

After some jobs with other boats in the Port Maurelle anchorage we decided to head off to a different anchorage.
It was windy outside the protected anchorage but was a much more sunny day then we have had recently.
We got to Vaka Eitu and picked up a mooring buoy. After lunch we went to say hello to Moasi, Ian and Julia, a British catamaran we had seen briefly at a couple of anchorages but never had chance to chat to properly. We had a lovely couple of hours on Moasi chatting before heading back to Newt.
Moasi were going to come over later to get some books of us and for a drink once Ian had fixed their generator but unfortunately he was struggling to find the cause of the problem and had to take a rain check.

11th August, Port Maurelle, Tonga

We were hoping to go to Hunga today but the tricky entrance requires high tide, no swell and good visibility and as it was overcast, rainy and the swell was due to increase throughout the week we thought we would give it a miss and head to another option.
Before we left Port Maurelle we headed over to T Rex to swap some books and ended up staying for tea and cake. As we were leaving T Rex Chriselle came into the anchorage who had decided that they were going to head to Hunga anyway so we went over to find out why they had changed their minds. They convinced us to spend another night in Port Maurelle by inviting us for dinner and to play a board game.
We spent the afternoon on the boat and then headed over to Chriselle where we had a lovely evening with jelly and ice cream for dessert!

10th August, Port Maurelle, Tonga

We left the Art Gallery anchorage this morning to explore further. Within the anchorage it was flat calm and boats were swinging in the current, 10m away there was 20 knots of wind!! The anchorage we had initially planned on visiting wasnt very protected so we decided to head back to Port Maurelle.
After lunch T Rex arrived so we went over to say hello and spent the afternoon with them catching up.

9th August, Tapana, Tonga

We woke up to more grey overcast sky so had a lazy and relaxing day reading books and watching dvds. By mid afternoon the sun had come out so we had a swim before sundown drinks in the cockpit. A lovely peaceful day.

8th August, Tapana, Tonga

Our plan today was to head to one of the other anchorages and we did . but we didnt end up at the one we planned!! The anchorage we had planned to visit has recently had some mooring buoys put down to help protect the coral but unfortunately we couldnt find them!! So we decided to head back through the reef pass and go to a beach anchorage we had heard about. We got through the pass safely and headed to the beach. As we got closer it looked spectacular but we couldnt find the way in!! The book said to head to the south of the beach and then come up into the anchorage but there was coral everywhere and the depth got down to less than a metre under the keel!! We decided to give this a miss and head to the Art Gallery anchorage as they had buoys they said we could use for free as we had bought something for the gallery and swapped them some rope. Jonny was happier with this suggestion as the anchor windlas chain stripper had bent again and he wanted to fix it so it would be easier not to anchor.
After lunch Jonny managed to get the stripper off the windlas but it looks like it is bent beyond repair this time so we have taken it off and are hoping to be able to use the windlas without it until Australia where we can get a new one.
We headed over to the Art Gallery to say hello and ask advice about the beach anchorage and we know have the correct way to get in hopefully for tomorrow!!
The nice sunny day turned into a rainy day mid afternoon so we hid below and had a dvd afternoon afternoon which was lovely.

7th August, Old Harbour, Tonga

Our guide book said that it was a short walk over the hill from Old Harbour back to town so we decided to go and get some fresh provisions and catch up with some of the boats that have arrived since we left. It was a very short walk to town (about 5 mins over the hill)!!
After getting rid of the rubbish we found Ben (Silk Sheets) in the Mermaid checking e mails so we stopped to say hello and then Del and Gary (T Rex) arrived at Sailing Safaris next door so we went to say hello to them.
After getting some shopping we decided to stop at the Balcony for their lunchtime special burgers which were yummy before heading back to Newt.
We spent the afternoon doing more jobs and tidying up. With the old dinghy out of the cockpit locker we can now fit all the spare jerry jugs (apart from the petrol one) in the cockpit locker and Newt looks less like a gypsy boat!!

6th August, Old Harbour, Tonga

On this mornings net we heard about a Tongan ferry that had sunk overnight just north of the capital. There were still looking for about half of the 80 people on board. The ferry goes between the capital and the island groups and comes up to this area so many of the locals know people on board.
We had a sort out and took some spare food and rope over to the people at the Art Galley in exchange for a small painting.
We decided to head through one of the reef passes to explore some of the more remote anchorages. We had been warn that the charts were out and planned to eye ball navigate but set the tracker on our chart plotter to see where we had gone to assess the accuracy of our charts. When we got to the pass it was abit choppy and the small marker balls were hard to see so Jonny took the dinghy to check it out whilst i hovered at the edge of the reef and then we took Newt through. Looking at our path afterwards our Navionics Gold charts were spot on (although we have heard that the sea map and max sea charts arent).
We checked out a couple of anchorages but there were quite exposed and eventually ended up in the old harbour which was really protected with 2 other boats.
Throughout the afternoon we listened to the VHF as a rescue party was organised to head south to help with the ferry rescue. Unfortunately (or maybe it was for the best??) we were too far from town to offer our assistance - after over 12 hours in the water there are unlikely to be many more survivors so not going to be an easy rescue mission.
We had a peaceful afternoon and evening enjoying our tranquil anchorage ... with a naked single handed guy drinking beer and singing on the boat next to us!!

5th August, Tapana, Tonga

A windy and overcast day give us a good opportunity to do some much needed cleaning and some boat jobs.

4th August, Tapana, Tonga

During the night we had strong gusts of wind through the anchorage which after having not anchored for a while made us abit nervous but the anchor held and we were fine.
After breakfast we headed to the Ark Gallery - a floating art gallery in the anchorage. An American couple who had sailed through here in 1983 had come back and set up an art gallery which was also their home. The paintings were amazing and we bought a couple of small paintings of whales and turtles.
We had a relaxing afternoon on the boat as it was too windy to go very far and a lovely evening watching dvds.

3rd August, Tapana, Tonga

After a walk on the small beach ashore we headed over to say hello to the other boats in the anchorage. There were both New Zealand boats spending the season in Tonga.
From Lisa Beach we headed round the corner to Tapana which is another stunning and sheltered anchorage.
Once anchored we had abit of a tidy up and rearrange of some of the cupboards below and got the spare dinghy out of the cockpit locker to check it was ok before we sold it.
After a walk ashore we headed over to say hello to an Irish boat in the anchorage. They have been cruising for 6 years and are heading back to New Zealand for hurricane season.

2nd August, Lisa Beach, Tonga

After a Sunday morning lie in we headed ashore to drop off our garbage before heading out to the anchorages.
The Vava'u group of Tonga is made up of lots of small islands all within a day sail of the main town. According to the Moorings (yacht charter company) map there are 42 anchorages within the islands and we are planning to spend the next couple of weeks exploring some of them.
Today we headed to anchorage no. 10 - Lisa Beach which was a couple of hours from town. We saw whales on the horizon today making some big splashes but they weren't close enough to see properly.
The anchorage is one of the quieter ones with only 2 other boats in it. It is well protected from the strong tradewinds we have at the moment as it is surrounded by tall cliffs.
We spent the afternoon reading and swimming before having tea and watching a dvd.

1st August, Neiafu, Tonga

Since Niue the weather has got abit chiller and this morning we needed long sleeve tops on when we woke up. In Niue we wore long trousers for the first time since Europe and on the crossing from Niue to Tonga we had our mid layer kit on at night!!
Our plan this morning was to motor the half an hour back to town. As I was brushing my teeth I saw whales in the distance so we took a little detour on the way back to town!! An hour later after seeing 3 pods of whales we made it to town!!
We rushed round town to get our shopping before the shops shut at 12pm.
At 2.30pm we headed over to the barge. Our new friends on Chriselle had completed their circum navigation in Tonga after 8 years and they have some friends who have a barge here and said they could have a party on it. We headed over for drinks and nibbles in the afternoon and then a bbq. It was a great afternoon and evening.
At 8pm we headed back to our boats. Jonny dropped me off at Newtsville and he went to have drinks with a group of Kiwi lads on their boat (the first people we have met who are the same age as us!!).

31st July, Port Maurelle, Tonga

After a slow morning we decided to go for a walk ashore. On the way ashore we stopped off to say hello to a New Zealand boat flying an OCC flag – it wasn't their OCC flag but they were a nice couple to talk to anyway!! They have sailed to Tonga from New Zealand and are spending 6 months cruising around here.
As it was still quite windy we decided to postpone our visit to the cave and spent the afternoon on the boat reading books.

Thursday 30th July - Port Maurelle; Vav'u Tonga

We had a nice lazy day today - a walk to the local village (where we saw only 1 person but around 50 pigs running wild!) and then back to the boat for some rest and relaxation! We were going to head to a cave in the dinghy for a snorkel but decided lounging the sun was more appropriate - cave tomorrow - maybe!
We had Keith and Dianne from Chriselle over for drinks and had a great time with them - they are as crazy as us!!
Salami and green pepper pasta for tea!!

29th July, Port Maurelle, Tonga

We headed ashore this morning to collect our washing and buy bread before heading off to explore the many anchorages in the Vava'u island group. Getting our washing back from CocoNet was like heaven - it had been washed, dried and folded and was a very nice treat after hand washing!!
We left the town and motored for half an hour to reach our first anchorage where we wanted to visit a nearby cave. We had lunch and headed to the beach. On the beach we got talking to a boat called Moon Glow who had been interested in our dinghy - there were a couple of New Zealand who had sailed up to Tonga for the season.
From the beach we decided to go and say hello to Chriselle who are friends of Christine Anne and Sea Dove. Keith and Diane are a lovely couple from New Zealand who have been circum navigating for 8 years and are now emigrating to Australia. By the time we left Chriselle it was 7pm!!
Back on Newt we had tea and watched a dvd.

28th July, Neiafu, Tonga

We waved goodbye to Christine Anne and Sunchaser this morning as they headed off Fiji – it was great to catch up with them for a couple of days.
We headed over to say hello to Sea Dove who we had met in Bora Bora and felt guilty because we got them out of bed!!
We headed ashore to drop off our laundry and get some fresh fruit and veg from the market. We had arranged to meet a local craft guy to go to his workshop to see some of his carving work but when we met him in the morning he had a job to do and we agreed to meet again at lunchtime.
We headed back to the boat for lunch and then went back ashore to meet the local guy (Tui). We walked out to his house and workshop and he showed us some of the projects he had in mind. He didn't really have any work to show us but it was amazing to see his house and the views he had.
For the rest of the afternoon I did internet jobs whilst Jonny filled in our customs form for Fiji and then we headed ashore for a drink.
We have hopefully sold our spare dinghy from the UK – we just need to blow it up and check that it is working ok as it has been deflated in the cockpit locker since St Lucia.

27th July, Neiafu, Tonga

We headed over to the customs wharf this morning to clear in and were visited by 4 different officials – customs, immigration, quarantine and health! All were very friendly and the procedure was easy.
Whilst at the dock we were approached by a local guy whose daughter makes flags. We have all the courtesy flags we need but he said she would be able to make us a new red ensign (ours is looking abit faded!!). We agreed a price and although it seemed slightly expensive we decided it was helping the locals and to go for it. Jonny was going to the bank to get some money when one of the tour operators advised me not to deal with the local guy because he is expensive and the flags are poor quality so I called Jonny back. The flag guy wasn't happy that we changed our minds but accepted it but said he was going to go to the police about the tour guide that warned us off!!
We took Newt back to a mooring buoy and then went for a walk around town. It seems like a very cute place. We had a walk round the market and bought a yacht necklace each (10TP$ each or 10TP$ for 2!!). The guy invited us to his workshop to see some of his other work so we are meeting him tomorrow.
After lunch Jonny took our genoa over to Christine Anne to fix the UV strip and I did internet jobs.
At 5pm we headed ashore with Christine Anne and Sunchaser to the Balcony restaurant which was a great evening with lovely food.

25th/26th July, Neiafu, Tonga

Although Tonga is not at 180 degrees it is classed as being on the other side of the dateline so the day started of as Sat 25th and Sun 26th – Jonny is very upset because he feels he has missed some meals!!
We spoke to Christine Anne and Sunchaser as we approached the north end of the island – they are both on buoys at the town and we were looking forward to seeing them when we arrived. As we approached the harbour we radioed the Aquarium Café and got a mooring buoy and Russ (Christine Anne) came out in his dinghy to meet us and show us where it was.
Russ then took us over to Christine Anne for coffee and chocolate cake and Sunchaser came over with another chocolate cake. It was great to catch up with them again.
Back on the boat we tidied the boat up and put it all back to together. Luckily in the squall last night we only broke a baton in the main and we had a spare so Jonny was able to replace it.
We headed ashore with Sunchaser and Christine Anne to have fish and chips at the Aquarium which was yummy!!

24th July, Niue to Tonga

We carried on making good progress throughout the day. The wind eased slightly but without the reefs we were still making good speed. Towards the end of the day the seas had eased off and it was a comfortable sail.
At 9pm the wind started getting up and there was a huge black cloud in front of us so I called Jonny to come and help me put a reef in. We got the first reef in but as the wind was still increasing we decided to put the second reef in as well. Suddenly the wind went for 15 – 20 knots behind us to 35 – 40 knots on the nose and torrential rain. We decide to drop the main as it was out on the preventor and was going to get damaged. For 2 hours we battled into 35 knot headwinds and big seas doing less than a knot at times – not a very pleasant experience!!
By midnight the wind and seas had eased but the wind was still on the nose so we carried on motoring towards Tonga.

23rd July, Niue to Tonga

We went ashore in the morning to check out, pay for our mooring buoy and spend any remaining NZ$ in the supermarket. After lunch on the boat we headed off on the 250 mile trip to Tonga. As we were heading out of the bay a whale swam passed which was amazing. We were making good progress with just the main up and the dinghy was in the way of the spinnaker pole which we would have needed for the genoa and also the UV strip on the genoa had started to come unstitched so we decided to just sail with the main. It was a rocky and rolly evening with some good wind and we were making good progress despite having to put 2 reefs in the main.

22nd July, Niue Yacht Club, Niue

We headed ashore at 9am with Andy (Calysta) to pick up our hire car. We had an amazing day driving round the island - the road around the island is 68km long but it took us all day to get round because there was so much to see. The caves were fantastic, the rock pools were stunning and the chasms were great. The only downside was we tried to find the Vaikona Chasm which Lonely Planet said was a 1km, 20min walk. It talked about 2 pools you could swim in and how you could explore further if you were brave. It said that you followed the red arrows to the cave and that a local guide was essential - we thought the guide would just be if you wanted to explore the caves further than the initial two pools so headed off following the red arrows. After an hour of scrambling over coral rocks and scrambling through jungle we arrived at the entrance to the cave which was a narrow gap into a gorge. Jonny went down to explore and said that it was spectacular but that you needed climbing gear to get to the pools - obviously why a local guide is needed!! So we trekked back to the car!!
Back in town we stopped at the Yacht Club for a burger for tea and to check the weather before heading back to the boat. The swell has gone down alot today and the motion is alot more pleasant.

21st July, Niue Yacht Club, Niue

A rolly night on the mooring buoy as the swell started coming from the south. In the morning we headed ashore to book a car for tomorrow, get a Niue driving licence from the Police Station and then go on a round the island tour with the locals. We had been told by the Immigration lady that one of the villages was having a drive round the island as part of a festival and we would be welcome to join them - we tried to find the meeting place at 12 when we were told they would be leaving but could no sign of any cars. After a while we gave up and headed back to the boat. About 1.30 we heard cars tooting their horns at setting off - it was obviously 12 local time!! I spent the afternoon in bed - still trying to catch up on some sleep from the passage and Jonny did some jobs.
When we had come back from lunch we picked up another buoy with a stern line to pull the bow into the swell and make the motion better but got a call from the yacht club to say that we couldnt do that as it would be putting strain on their buoys.
Whales - i keep forgetting to mention the whales. On Sun night as we were entering the bay Jonny briefly saw a whale then that night we coiuld hear them around the boat in the dark but couldnt see them. When we arrived back at the boat on Mon afternoon we could see a whale in the distance jumping out of the water and doing huge slaps - even from a distance it was spectacular. That night again we could her the whales - one even woke me up!! On Tue night the whales were even closer (less than 10m from the boat) but because there is no moon at the mo you couldnt see them just hear them.

20th July, Niue Yacht Club, Niue

We were planning on going ashore at 10am to check in because thats when the yacht club opened and someone would be able to help us with the crane to lift the dinghy - because of the swell that they sometimes get they have a crane to lift your dinghy out onto the wharf!! However at 8.30 we got a call from Niue Radio saying that customs wanted us ashore at 9am. At the wharf they were some construction workers who showed us how to use the crane which was great fun!! We headed to customs and then to immigration to clear in. On the way back to the bank we were met by Keith, the commodore of Niue Yacht Club, who took us for a drive along the coast to point out key things to us. In 2007 Niue was hit by a cyclone. The most damage was done by waves that were 35m high washing houses off the cliffs. In the bank we changed some US$ into NZ$ - vthe bank only takes visa credit cards (and has a high charge for doing so) so the best way to get money is to change another currency.
From the bank we headed to the yacht club and had an ice cream - yummy!!
After lunch back at the boat we headed back ashore to use the internet at the Yacht Club - it was a slow connection but we managed to check our e mails.
We had been invited on a walk with some of the locals in teh evening but we were still tired from the passage so headed back to Newt for tea and an early night.

Day 8 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Niue??)

At 8.30pm we picked up a buoy provided by Niue Yacht Club off the main town on Niue. You have to use buoys here because there is too much coral to anchor and a big drop off. It was dark (and no moonlight) when we entered the harbour but Andy (Calysta) had arrived earlier in the day and was on deck with a torch to guide us to a buoy. We are the only 2 yachts in the harbour! We checked in with Niue Radio and then had a nice evening watching dvds before an early night.

Day 7 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Niue??)

At 5pm the wind filled in and we could turn the engine off and sail. We had a lovely nights sailing with a nice breeze and little swell. By 8.30am it became clear that if we ran the engine to give us abit extra speed (0.5 knots) we could make it into Niue before dark so we turned the engine on - if we didnt make it by dark we would have to slow down and have another night at sea as we didnt want to try and pick up a mooring buoy in the dark as there is very little moonlight at the mo.

Day 7 distance traveled: 141n/m
Total distance traveled: 992n/m
Distance left to Niue: 52n/m

18th July 2009 - The end of one year at sea

Today is 12 months from when we moved aboard Newt! Here are some of the facts and figures of the last year:

Total Miles Travelled: 12,750 n/m
Average Miles per Day: 35 n/m
Number of Countries Visited: 18
Number of Anchorages / Harbours Visited: 80
Number of Nights at Sea: 89 (25%)
Number of Nights at Anchor: 184 (50%)
Number of Nights in Marina: 73 (20%) (only 1 night since Nov 08)
Number of Nights Mooring Bouy: 15 (4%)
Number of Nights on the Hard: 4 (1%)
Distance Left to Travel to Sydney: 2,362 n/m
Number of Days Left to Sydney: 95 Days (Approx)

During the year we have also become members of the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) - a club where you have to have completed a 1000 mile passage non stop to qualify. We have enjoyed meeting other people from the club on our travels.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our year abroad Newt and cant believe the time has passed so quickly. We are looking forward to our remaining time on board and also to starting our new lives in Sydney.

Day 6 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Niue??)

The wind died all day. For most of the day we were moving along at about 4 knots with the main on one side and the genoa on the other. By midnight it had died completely and we have been motoring ever since.

Day 6 distance traveled: 129n/m
Total distance traveled: 851n/m
Distance to Niue: 193n/m

Day 5 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Niue??)

The wind started to die at the start of the day but then picked back up again but just to a nice sailing strength. This morning we had blue skies and 10 - 12 knots of wind. I made bread for the first time since a high school cooking lessons - we are missing our french baguettes!!

Distanced traveled on Day 5: 159n/m
Total distance traveled: 722n/m
Distance to Niue: 322n/m

Day 4 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Niue??)

Another overcast day with lots of wind and rolly seas. We had to use some of emergency ration Uncles Bens instant rice for tea because we could only face being in the galley for the 2 mins it takes to cook. Forecast is for the winds to ease tomorrow and we woke up to blue skies this morning and less wind so looking better.
We have decided not to stop at Palmerston. There is a cold front coming through after the weekend and if we stop at Palmerston we will either be there (which isnt very protected and the mooring buoys are slightly dubious!!) or one route to Niue. If we carry on we can be in Niue before it arrives were we might be more sheltered at the buoys are definitely better.

Day 4 distanced traveled: 150n/m
Total distance traveled: 563 n/m
Distance remaining to Niue: 480n/m

Day 3 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Palmerston and Niue??)

A mixed day today. We spent the daytime with the main and cruising chute up doing about 4 knots in about 8 knots of wind. By the end of the day we had at least 25 knots of wind - 2 reefs in the main, half the genoa furled away and were still doing 7 knots!! The boat is coping well with the wind but big seas are making abit uncomfortable for the crew!!

Day 3 distance traveled: 138 n/m
Total distance traveled: 413n/m
Distance to Palmerston: 247n/m

Day 2 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Palmerston and Niue??)

A good days sailing with the wind starting to drop towards the end of the day as predicted in the weather files. Calysta is still within VHF range but out of sight.

Day 2 distance traveled: 125 n/m
Total distance traveled: 275 n/m
Distance to Palmerston: 384n/m

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Day 1 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Palmerston and Niue??)

After finishing our jobs this morning we left Bora Bora about 11am. We had good winds but the seas were initially very rolly but this settled down once we were clear of the islands. Calysta also left today on the same route so we are in VHF contact with him. We are heading towards Palmerston but are unsure whether we will be able to stop - it depends on the weather and whether there are any mooring buoys available.

Distance travelled on Day 1: 150 n/m

11th July, Bora Bora Yacht Club, Bora Bora

We woke up this morning to an overcast sky which was a problem because we wanted o head back up to the yacht club but we couldnt get back through the coral pass without good sunlight to help our visibility. At about 7.30 there was a small patch of blue sky so we decided to make a run for it - getting out of the pass was alot less scary than getting in!
We headed up to the yacht club and anchored. Today we wanted to get ready to leave tomorrow so we did some hand washing, took a load of washing in for their machines, filled up with water and went to the supermarket to get some fresh veg.
On the way back from town we saw Ishka who invited us on board but we needed to put some of the shopping in the fridge and see if our laundry was ready to hang out.
After lunch with the washing hung out we headed over to see Ishka - White Hawk and Blaze were also there so we had a fun afternoon.
We headed back to the boat for dinner and to finish our jobs and had been invited over to Natural Mystic (Tina (Norwegian) and Kyber (American)) for cocktails. We had a quick cocktail before heading ashore to watch the dance festival which was great.

10th July, South West anchorage (between Point Raititi and Point Matira), Bora Bora

Yesterday afternoon we had asked the local dive shop about good snorkeling spots so we spent the morning snorkeling and exploring. The coral was mostly dead but the fish were amazing.
In the afternoon we were going to go to the beach but it became very over cast so we did boat jobs.

9th July, South West anchorage (between Point Raititi and Point Matira), Bora Bora

We headed ashore and went to a shop that Jonny had seen computers in the window of when we had been walking around town. They couldn't help us but sent us to another shop. The shop had one option in stock and another they could get from Tahiti the next day but we decided to go with the option they already had.
Back on the boat Jonny spent the rest of the morning fixing the laptop and re installing the systems.
We decided to carry on exploring the island and to head down to the southern end. We got to near the end of the island where some boats were anchored but decided the anchorage around the point looked nicer. The passage around the point was heart stopping with 0.1m under the keel at times as we worked our way through the coral heads … but it was worth the effort because the anchorage was stunning.
We had a lovely afternoon exploring and then had to fix the dinghy because the floor kept going down … while we had been tied up to the town quay the night before someone had thrown a cigarette in the dinghy and burnt a hole in the floor!!

8th July, Motu Tapu, Bora Bora

After doing some internet jobs in the morning we decided to leave the yacht club and explore the rest of the island. We wanted to go ashore this evening to watch some of the local dance competition that was part of the festival so we wanted to anchor somewhere near to the town. We found a lovely spot next to a small island (motu) in crystal clear water.
I tried to send some SSB e mails from our navigation computer when lots of error messages appeared … the hard drive had died completely. This had started to happen in Tahiti so we had bought a spare external hard drive so that we could take the hard drive out of the one we already had and use it in the laptop. Unfortunately when Jonny tried to replace the hard drive the spare hard drive had stopped working??!! Jonny tried a couple of other options but they wouldn't work … we needed a new hard drive. We were going to go ashore in the morning and try and find a shop that sold them (although we weren't hopeful) or try and get one sent from Tahiti.
After dinner we headed ashore to watch the dancing. We met Coromandel Quest, Kathleen Love, Painted Skies, Calysta, Blaze and Equinox ashore as well. The dancing was amazing.

7th July, Bora Bora Yacht Club, Bora Bora

After dropping our laundry off (the yacht club had had to replace 3 washing machines in a year due to cruisers overfilling them so now they fill the machine for you!!) we were met by the taxi to take us to the jewelers.
After much debate I ended up having one pearl set in a necklace and a braclet made of the misshapen pearls. The braclet was going to take a while so the Sarah arranged to bring our jewellery to the yacht club this evening.
Sarah, Zerkovian Pearls (pick up a postcard size flyer in the tourist info and ask them to ring to get you collected) was brilliant. I would highly recommend any cruisers coming through here with pearls to be set visiting her.
We bought baguettes at the shop near the yacht club and then headed to town in the dinghy to go to the post office.
On the way back to Newt we stopped at Calysta to arrange getting diesel and then stopped at an English boat Kathleen Love to say hello. Grahame and Gillian have taken 3 years to get here and are doing a circum navigation. Gillian is from Preston originally.
After lunch Jonny headed off in the dinghy to fill the diesel jugs and I did some cleaning and tidying.
On their way past the boat Bruce and Cheryle, Sea Dove, Australian came past to say hello.
At 4pm Equinox (Scottish, Gordan and Ann) came over for drinks. We had met them initially in Portugal and have bumped into in various places on the trip but never had a chance to chat properly. We had a good couple of hours getting to know them before we headed ashore for dinner at the yacht club.
At the yacht club Sarah was waiting with my pearls which were stunning and I enjoyed wearing all night. After a yummy dinner we headed to Equinox. In 2006 Gordon had circum navigated Spitsbergen and made a film which they had invited us to watch. It was amazing and both of us left the boat saying we wanted to visit although it looked slightly colder than here!!

6th July, Bora Bora Yacht Club, Bora Bora

After sending a fax which will hopefully resolve the tax issue and get us some money back we left Tahaa to head to Bora Bora. As we approached the pass it didn't really look like there was a pass – there didn't seem to be a gap in the breaking waves but as we got closer it was clear.
We had a nice 25 mile sail across to the Bora Bora arriving just after lunch and where met by Andy waiting for us with a baguette!! We decided to stop at the yacht club for a couple of nights to do some washing before heading off to explore the island. Silk Sheets and Equinox were also at the yacht club.
We took the dinghy into the main town and had a fun afternoon walking round. We also went into some jewelers to look at getting some of the pearls I got given in Manihi set. We found a lovely jeweler south of the main town and are going back tomorrow with the pearls!
On the way back to Newt we stopped at an English OCC (Ocean Cruising Club, which we joined after crossing the Atlantic) boat based out of Blyth. They were a lovely couple (Andy and Linda) who have been cruising for 2 years and planning on circum navigating.
Andy (Calysta) had caught a big Mahi Mahi between Raiatea and Bora Bora so we were going ashore for tea to use the BBQ at the yacht club. Also joining in the bbq was Silk Sheets and a Danish boat called Amazing. We had a good night and the fish was yummy.

5th July, Taravana Yacht Club, Tahaa

In the morning we emptied our jerry jugs of diesel into the tanks (my least favourite job on Newt) and the headed to the marina to see if we could refill the jugs – the marina manager said they don't sell diesel, petrol, gas or have a washing machine so that wasn't very helpful!! Apparently we can get fuel in Bora Bora so that will be ok.
We decided to head back across the Yacht Club at Tahaa because we wanted to go ashore at 11pm to use the internet so Jonny could call the tax office with a good internet connection and the yacht club was the best option.
After lunch Jonny re connected our nav lights that had a loose connection at the bottom of the mast.
At 5.30 we headed ashore to pay for our morning buoy and met Lauren Grace (American catamaran) who seem really nice.