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.