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SKI-NZ 2016

By on March 18, 2016 in Domino

SKI-NZ  2016

March 19, 2016

Great Barrier Island , New Zealand

The Kiwis love their outdoors and their sports, and when it comes to fundraising for a good cause, why not do it on a wave runner?   Hence, the Yamaha Ski-NZ 2016, a fund raiser for the N.Z. Melanoma Foundation.  Twenty-nine riders, seven days, 650 km around the top of New Zealand, and over $90,000 raised.  Invited by Jeremy Burfoot, DOMINO was only too excited to jump in the fun and be the support boat. 

The route was from Hokianga on the west coast to Leigh on the east coast, and “over the top” of Cape Reinga and North Cape.  While the riders got to the Hokianga by road, on their trailers, DOMINO had to get there by sea, starting from the Bay of Islands. 

It was a beautiful trip, dodging the finicky weather that is notorious at the capes, but we discovered stunning landscapes.

Feb. 25 – Paradise Bay (Bay of Islands) to Horsehoe Bay (Cavalli Islands) – Hurricane Winston had just run amok over Fiji and the 3-meter swells from the NE were a challenge to contend with, especially at anchor.  Bonus: our friends on MAUNIE (last seen in Fiji) happened to cruise by and we managed to drop the dinghy and visit for a short while until we all wanted to get out of the damned swell.

Feb. 26 – Cavalli Islands to Whangaroa – or WOWangaroa… no sooner had we passed the head of Whangaroa bay entrance we were in a green paradise, with volcanic lava domes peaking out of green forests.  We found calm anchorages at last, dozens of nooks and crannies to recuperate our balance.  There again, we caught up with friends, the Tennant Powercat “November Rain.”  Garry and partner Lori had just won 3rd place at the national Penn fishing tournament, 1stplace at the local gamefishing club, and Gary was keen on giving us all tips on fishing… oh, and how to get to good anchorages, how to safely cross the bar in Hokianga, and how to best navigate “over the top.”  In the end, we both fueled up and Garry and his shipmates escorted us all the way to North Cape.

Feb. 29 – Whangaroa – Cape kariKari – With a NE gale advisory on the forecast for the next day, we decided to duck on the west side of the Cape, while Garry opted to stay on the east side, expecting a calm night.  The gale came through at 2 in the morning, gusting at 36 knots, and we were tossed out of our bunks by the chop.  Meanwhile, a 100-ton steel trawler not even 2 miles north of us was thrown on the rocks and just lolled there, its 7 passengers wearing life jackets, hoping for the best, ready for the worst.  It was maddening to be in sight of the Lady Lola and not to be of any assistance.  The gale was raging, it was pitch dark, and the skipper had assured us that he was in no immediate danger. At dawn, the “Florence Nightingale” was steaming down from North Cape at full speed, and with the winds down and the tide high, managed to refloat the Lady Lola, miraculously with only a few scrapes on her bottom.  Meanwhile, November Rain’s passengers were a bit green around the gills as they made out of their anchorage.

March 1 – Kari-Kari – North Cape – Tom Bowling Bay – I expected the north coast to be very rugged and rocky.  Instead, we found lovely, long beaches and safe anchorages.  Which was a good thing as the forecast was announcing more high winds from the SE.  We simply waited for the weather to pass, as it always does in these parts.  More fishing for snapper, kingfish, trevally, blue cod, and encounters with hundreds of dolphins were enough to make us happy.  As the chop swirled into Tom Bowling, we searched for a better anchorage and found it at Piwhane Bay were none other than Garry was already sheltered, bottom fishing for John Dory!

Cape Reinga
March 4 – Piwane Bay – Cape Reinga – Ahipara – At last, the wind has dropped below 15 knots from the SE, the seas have calmed down and we had a glorious rounding of Cape Reinga, the northern most point of New Zealand.  I expected clashing, pyramidal waves, having listened to the lore of sailors who battled this cape, but all we found was strong currents and splendid views.  

90-mile beach…. you can drive on the beach… 4-wheeling in the sand dunes
Then, it was a ride down the 90-mile beach, along the immense sand dunes, by the rock with a hole in it, and –with 25 knots blowing where there was supposed to be no wind (is the weather forecast ever right in NZ?) – we ducked into the wide bay of Ahipara, again amazed at the beauty and peace of the landscape.


March 5 – Ahipara – Hokianga (Opononi) – We dreaded this part.  Hokianga is a bar harbor.  Only the week before, a boat had taken the bar in the wrong spot and had broached.  How were we to do this?  I had tried to get the harbormaster in various channels, by email, on the Coast Guard website, on the Hokianga Tourism website, no dice.  In the end, it was Annette, the operator on Far North VHF Radio, who got me the phone number of Pete, the harbor warden.  Just a call, and we had agreed on the best time to come into Hokianga: 0700.

Sand dunes at Cape Maria
            We rose early, having a 2 to 3 hour ride, depending on weather.  We expected 25 knots of wind and rough seas… we got ZERO knots and flat seas… is the forecast ever right in NZ???  Pete called us on our cell phone, directed us to were he wanted us to cross, and just guided us in as we glided on a mirror! 



Opononi, on the Hokianga… lovely!
            Sunrise in Hokianga is just breathtaking, with its sand dunes, wide estuary, green banks, jutting pine trees.  Once more, we dropped anchor, dropped a line, caught snappers for lunch, and pinched ourselves at the beauty of the New Zealand coastline.

The ultimate Yamaha setup
            
But that was enough for our leisurely cruise.  The Riders were coming in and it was time to get into high gear.

Trevor and his 2 sons…. What a team from Lake Taupo!

THE GUYS – AND GALS –— They came from all parts of New Zealand, but also from Australia and New York, 27 guys, 2 gals.  Some are couples, some are brothers, all are friends, lead by the fearless Jeremy Burfoot.  
Burfoot
All are avid waverunner riders.  The 3 groups may have been labeled “advanced,” “Intermediate,” and “beginner Intermediate,” this was no ride for beginners.  If the weather was to be what we had endured with DOMINO on our way in, a challenge was definitely on the horizon!

What a sight in the early morning light!
March 6 – Hokianga – Ahipara –  We raised anchor at dawn, ready to cross the bar by 0800, once more on glassy water.  
Is that one of the Terry Boys on his hoverboard?
We slowly motored, waiting for the riders who were scheduled to leave an hour later, and peered over the silver mirror of the flat sea, not a wave, not a breath of air.  And suddenly they appeared, hovering over the surface, jetting past us in a wink.  
One of the Terry boys….
DOMINO kicked up to speed and was only too happy to steam along at 20 knots while I shot hundreds of photos.  It was a magic morning, thanks to the benevolent weather gods.

 

OK… can’t keep track of them!!!
While the land crew retrieved the skis on the beach, JP and I were curious to find out what were the fish that were schooling all around us.  Soon we had pulled 6 Kahawai, considered by some as bait fish.  “Not bad smoked,” advised Tom, cruising by on his jetski.  And so it was that 2 hours later we had smoked and packed the Kahawai, ready to auction at the auction night!  But for tonight, not going to shore.

 

March 7 – Ahipara – Cape Reinga – North Cape – Parengarenga  – 
Could we ever be so lucky?  Again, no wind, flat seas, heavenly conditions for a ride “over the top.”  
While the road crew was peering down from the Cape Reinga lighthouse or from the beach, cheering their riders, the riders played in the surf all along the 90-mile beach and Cape Reinga, took a lunch break on their machines along the coast, refueled at sea, and assaulted North Cape in the most ideal conditions. 

We lost sight of them at Parengarenga.  There was no way for us to enter this harbor, only 2 meter depth over moving sandbars… not for us.  We kept on to Cape KariKari where we knew we would be sheltered.  Not going to shore for us tonight.

Burfoot at Cape Reinga

JP never looses sight of his riders

(Burfoot) “Hey, JP, slow down!”

The Red Team: Invincible Armada

Burfoot on the prowl
March 8 – Parengarenga – Cape KariKari – Mangonui  –
JP: “Where is the Green Team?”

 It was to be a late start, so JP and I went trolling around KariKari … a dozen skipjack, a hundred dolphins, no tuna, but still no wind and glassy seas.  How long would our weather luck hold?

            Not long, as it turned out.  By noon, we were sighting the first group at Cape KariKari, and the wind freshened up, soon to reach 20 knots, and a nasty chop was kicking the riders sideways.  
We were keeping track of the groups as they zoomed by: the red hot-doggers, the yellow who wanted to prove themselves as good as the red, and the green…. Oh, where were the green?  I logged on the SPOT tracker page, and it showed the green team way behind, somewhere along the bay west of kariKari, but not moving very much.  Was anything wrong?  These guys are usually gung-ho, ready to eat miles of ocean at high speed.

            Darth Vader Jeremy, black-suited, mounted on his police-white Yamaha, was concerned.  The green group was lagging.  Soon, we had to make some calls.  Could a road crew have picked up a rider in trouble anywhere along the way?  Our calls on our designed VHF channel remained unanswered.  
At last, I put an all-vessel call on Far North radio and hailed “Mango Moon,” a friend of ours who was cruising north of KariKari.  “Mango” stayed put and kept watch.  Soon, Frank on “Mango” gave us some relief: “They’re in the cut!”  From the flybridge, I finally spotted them and Jeremy, who had been sidling to DOMINO for the last half hour, made a beeline for the riders.  
Turned out they were doing what they said they would do: enjoy the marvelous scenery of Cape KariKari.  Can’t blame them: they were in sheltered waters.  Now that they had found the nasty chop on the east coast, it was a straight line to Mangonui.


         



   Mangonui is a very busy fishing harbor and JP had the challenge of finding a spot for BigD in cramped quarters and shallow water, not good holding, strong reversing tides.  Settled at the bottom of the harbor, we watched the sun go down, backlighting the splendid silhouette of Mangonui’s quaint harbor.  No going to shore for us tonight!

March 9 – Mangonui – Russell – The wind instrument read 4 knots out of the SE; seas were slight… our luck was back!  And what a ride this was!  The coast is chock-full with islands to poke in and out of.  Berghan Point, Motutara Island, Bird Rock and the Te Umukukupa Peninsula, Stephenson Island, Frenchman Rock, Flat Island, The Cavalli Islands, so many fun rocks to zoom to and fro! 



 We watched the riders zoom at the bottom the cliffs, surf the beach waves, go through holes in the rocks, and just have a jolly good time until the sky covered and the rain caught us as we were turning into Russell.  Certainly, this was the most fun day… or is every day just better than the previous one?

          


  
Russell – we’ve been here before, we know the lay of the land, and yes! We’re going to shore tonight.  It’s auction night.

            
The Duke of Marlborough is quite the venue, historical hotel on the waterfront, perfect to watch over DOMINO while we were having a great dinner and a bit of fun.  Our sponsor from GURIT came by and we were thankful that Tony Stanton, now chief engineer for Gurit Asia Pacific, designed such a strong and capable boat. 

           
Dinner-auction was a success, even our smoked Kahawai raised a bit of $$.  And we got to mingle with some awesome people… but not for long.  We had to regain the boat and ready for the next day’s run, Russell-Tutukaka, while the riders would take a day’s rest in Russell.

March 10 – Russell-Tutukaka  – No wind, covered sky, slight seas, and we’re trolling the 150-200 meter line, hoping for tuna… not a thing, and I’ll leave it at that!  We dropped anchor in the shallows of Tutukaka harbor and JP went to shore to make the final preparations for tomorrow’s trip to the Poor Knights Island.


March 11 – Tutukaka-Poor Knights Islands – Tutukaka  –– For once, the riders would have to do without DOMINO.  This was a day for the road crew and families.  

The marina had kindly allowed us to dock at the fuel dock to pick up passengers and lunches and by 10:30 we had 24 passengers, all strapped in their life jackets, ready for a fun day on the water.  We’d never had so many people on board, but it was quite a pleasure to share DOMINO with such a pleasant group.

          

Poor Knight Islands is a marine reserve, renown for its spectacular diving, and location of the largest sea cave in the world, the RikoRiko cave: 130 meter wide, 80 meter deep, 30 meter tall.  The objective? Get DOMINO inside the cave!

          
  Flat seas on the way, that was good… a slight chop in front of the entrance, that was not so good.  My heart was racing, and I’m not sure that JP was breathing, but, from the flybridge, he had a perfect command of his ship and got us in there… followed by the waverunners.  
And echo?  Oh yes, DOMINO’s horn inside the cave sounded long and strong!  
Slaps of congratulations to JP who dropped anchor in a secluded cove so we could all have lunch together.
  

     It was a time for pictures!!


  

Now, JP had ridden a waverunner before, but when Brock Terry loaned him his machine, he was catapulted in a whole new dimension… try to compare a Formula I race car to your run of the mill street car!  Beaming from ear to ear, my guy regained the ship and ordered to raise anchor.


         

   Uh-oh… chain won’t come up!  Wiggle this way, that way, forward, reverse, no dice. 
Kindly, passenger Matt donned mask and snorkel and checked it out: too deep.  Time for JP to go for a scuba dive: yes, the chain has slipped in crevasses between boulders, 17 meters below.  One, two, three twists and we’re free!  Not a bad day, JP!

          

That evening, we kept an eye on the weather.  Strong wind advisory from 02:00, gusting at 35 knots.  We anchored DOMINO in a more protected spot and waited.  Sure enough, middle of the night brought gusts at 37 knots and a chop in the harbor.  We were not looking forward to next day’s ride.

March 12 – Tutukaka to….????  By 07:00, it was still blowing 25kts in the harbor, 35 outside.  Boats trying to go out were turning around.  One sailboat made it out and was disappearing in the troughs, its mast barely visible. 
Would the guys dare to ride?  JP was adamant, he was not taking DOMINO in these conditions.  Jeremy and Russell made a recon foray into the roiling surf.  What would the decision be? Ride or not ride?  We were pretty sure they would not go to Leigh, a punishing ride.  But, lo-and-behold, there they were!  Almost the whole fleet was scooting past us, waving, into the nightmare. 



            Needless to say, we turned up our VHF on Ch.77 and 16, made sure our phone was charged, DOMINO ready to go if needed, and logged on to the SPOT tracker.  There they were, hugging the coast, mindful of the nasty rocks along the Tutukaka coast, past Tutukaka Head, past Bream Head, and into Marsden Cove.  What a relief to see all tags out of the water and not on their way  south to Leigh. 

       


     Was that a punishing ride?  Nobody will admit to it, but I’m pretty sure it was wicked!

            And just like that, the ride was over, our friends gone on their way (Nationals in Lake Taupo this weekend.)  I can’t imagine a better time, better people, all rallying for a good cause, and we were glad to be a part of it.  Thank you to the friends who sponsored us, GURIT, other cruisers, melanoma survivors… $90,000 for melanoma research, education and treatment will go a long way.

DONATIONS to the N.Z. Melanoma Foundation can be made HERE

          









  
Two days later, the weather had returned to windless, sunny days and flat seas and we hopped on El Tigre to dive The Poor Knights with Dive Tutukaka.  A spectacular day!

Blue-eyed Triplefin

We love New Zealand, but it’s time to get ready to go back to Fiji, work on the recovery of the islands devastated by Cyclone Winston.  Until next time…
Dominomarie

A big thank you to the Ski-nZ event Sponsors

 –

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Ski-NZ for Melanoma

By on February 27, 2016 in Domino

In New Zealand, some 300 people die every year of melanoma.  Perspective? As many people die of melanoma as from car accidents.  DOMINO has joined the Yamaha Ski-Nz for the Melanoma Foundation in this fund-raising and awareness event in order to promote education, fund research and improve treatment of this life-threatening form of skin cancer.

Seven days…..650 kilometres on a personal watercraft.


Ten years ago, Jeremy Burfoot, PWC world-record holder and melanoma survivor, circumnavigated New Zealand on his PWC.  This year, he is sharing his knowledge and experience by taking some 30 Riders “over the top” to NZ’s North Island.


“The 2016 Yamaha Melanoma New Zealand Ski-nZ will be an adrenalin packed adventure on personal watercraft, travelling via some of the most amazing coastline and scenery that the northern region of the North Island has to offer.”

Participants will experience an action-packed and fun filled week as they navigate the coastline clockwise from Hokianga Harbour to Leigh via Ahipara, Cape Reinga, North Cape, Parengarenga Harbour, Mangonui, Russell and Tutukaka. A day off will be planned at Russell for optional riding or other activities. Weather permitting detours via the Poor Knights Islands, Little Barrier Island and possibly Great Barrier Island will also be planned.

On the way, riders will be taking in amazing sights and raising funds to help Melanoma NZ to prevent avoidable deaths from melanoma and support for New Zealanders affected. Participants can expect to ride to many iconic spots on the way with a like-minded group of adventurers … all in the name of fun and FUNdraising.

Follow the Ski-nZ Facebook Page or on Twitter

THE CHALLENGE 

Raise the funds and join the Yamaha Melanoma New Zealand Ski-nZ to experience over 650kms of New Zealand’s coastline in the best possible way. If you’re an adrenalin junkie or just love a good adventure then this is 2016’s must do event. Lock it in today! 

THE PLAN

Sat 5th March: Scrutineering & registration at Opononi in Hokianga Harbour followed by briefing & dinner.

Sun 6th March: Ride to Ahipara. 

Mon 7th March: Endurance Ride (weather permitting) around North Cape to Parengarenga Harbour. Alternate: Out and back to North Cape from the Harbour.

Tue 8th March: Ride to Mangonui 

Wed 9th March: Ride to Russell and Auction night

Thu 10th March: Day off Russell

Fri 11th March: Ride to Tutukaka possibly via the Poor Knights Islands, weather permitting.

Sat 12th March: Ride via Little Barrier Island to Leigh for the end of ride function. If the weather is good a Great Barrier Island detour is possible.


BE A HERO… Save somebody’s skin and VISIT our DONATION PAGE… http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/domino/ … 

DOMINO AS SUPPORT BOAT – It has been our lives’ work to educate communities in health promotion and cancer prevention.  Tagging along with this group of some 30 PWC-riding athletes gives our work another dimension.  This ride is not for “Sissi’s” as steering these half-ton machines into pounding waves for hours on end is a grueling workout.



GURIT as our Sponsor – our deep thanks to GURIT Asia -Pacific for their kind support.  DOMINO was designed by Tony Stanton, GURIT’s engineering manager, and is built of GURIT Corecell M foam and Spabond 340.  Strength, durability, reliability… Thanks, GURIT for being an integral part of our safe travels.  

We Love NZ

By on February 16, 2016 in Domino
Crude RV…. NZ style!
Opua (New Zealand) February 17, 2016

We love New Zealand… let me count the ways: the fishing, the anchorages, the harbors, the food, the yacht services, and—mostly—the people.

The Kiwis have made us feel so welcome here!  Genuine, non-nonsense, passionate about the sea and the environment, the Kiwis easily share their love of nature with us, cruisers.  And so, in the last 3 months, we have enjoyed a lot of what New Zealand has to offer, from land to sea.

HAULOUT at NORSAND (Whangarei)
JP’s epoxy repair underwater held the 1,200 NM from Fiji 
           
Our first order of business has been to haul DOMINO out and repair the hull damage suffered on the reef in Vanua Levu. 
Painless haulout

NORSAND Boatyard did a great job hauling us out on a trailer, with specially-designed cross-beams to support DOMINO in all the right places.  Kudos to Kevin who patiently and meticulously measured to the centimeter the proper placement of all the supports.  On the hard, JP hacked away at the hulls.  



Port side: munched but dry
The port side was quite munched up but the Corecell closed cell foam had done its job, compressing a little and not letting any water in.  






Starboard: had to grind a bit more!
On starboard side, although the scratch looked minimal, upon exploration JP found out that the shock had caused a partial delamination.  So, he hacked away at quite a bit of the previous glass and re-laminated a large section. 

Fixed, faired and anti-fouled, the hulls look new again.

          

  
The choice of antifouling paint is always a hard one.  We started 6 years ago with Awlgrip (lasted 3 years with 1 small re-coat), then switched to Seahawk 44 with tin (lasted barely a year), then stripped the hulls and used Pettit Trinidad Hard which lasted just a year.  Still not happy, we switched to Carboline, 3 coats sprayed-on… time will tell.

           
Coated with Propspeed

The props had shown quite a bit of pitting and electrolysis.  Arthur, the propsmith at the Propeller Shop modified the profile and filed the edges, rectifying the pitch of one of the blades, polished our big 84cm props, and we hope to gain ½kt from this small modification.  For the first time, we applied Propspeed (a silicone-based prop-anitifouling.)  Now, Arthur didn’t like that very much.  His perfectly smooth props are now coated with a product that, once applied, had dried with some runs and contours that could create some disturbance… The jury is out on that choice.

Smaller chain chutes, better aligned with the chain, more vertical drop
            Amid fire suppression system inspection and Fireboy electrical re-wiring, John Deere engines and NorthernLight genset maintenance, replacing the fried alternator controller, fixing the Tank Tender, changing the chain chute (smaller nose, more vertical drop), dropping the bridle to lower and permanent anchor points and a good wash and wax, we escaped for a 2-week trip to the wine country.

Full on tasting at De La Terre… beautifully crafted!
The owner opened the cellar just for us… go there on a weekend and enjoy the pizza too!
WINE COUNTRY TOUR– Although our trip was short, it was filled with new friends, the marvels of a pristine countryside, and the pleasures of food and wine.  A nice break from the boat.

Tony made us discover Piha
and its Croatian community

PIHA, on the west coast, near Auckland.  Alerted by their son who is our son’s co-worker, Tony and Jennifer in Auckland emailed us to please, stay with them… which we did, and were delighted to make new friends.  They took us to Piha where the surf is treacherous and the friends are true. 

Driving through Titirangi, we couldn’t help remembering Malcolm Tennant and our first visit here in 2002, when the DOMINO project started.

The west coast sees some nasty rip currents











Raglan’s pristine coast

Count them!  ONE surfing class!

RAGLAN, on the west coast, west of Hamilton.  Another surfing Mecca.  Never had I seen some 50 people line up behind a surfing instructor and trot into the waves, each one carrying a surfboard.  A bit comical, but this is how much the Kiwis love the water.  JP and I took our ukuleles everywhere and strummed along in the most beautiful spots.

Huka Falls and rapids at Lake Taupo

LAKE TAUPO.  This is a favorite destination, close to the Waitomo Caves (famous for their glow worms) that we had visited on our last trip.  We rented mountain bikes and followed the trail to Huka Falls.  Well, either I was very tired, or had not been on a bike in a long time, but I can tell you that this is not a beginner trail!  I biffed more than once!  But it was nice to see how much the Kiwis enjoy the outdoors… swimming competitions in the cold lake (15-17c), triathlons, rock climbing, trekking, biking… they do it all to the max!

Waimea Pools… reconstructed but so appreciated
At last, I got my wish to relax in the hot pools, even though the pools were not quite genuine… but still, my skin and nails thanked me for getting the grime out of 5 weeks of antifouling dust exposure!

HAVELOCK NORTH – HAWKES BAY .  We were expecting to see vineyars everywhere.  Instead, we came through orchards: peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, avocados, all the summer fruits were on sale in small shacks along the road… delicious!  But enough of all this dawdling… we had to get serious about wine tasting.  The innkeeper at Te Mata lodge was most helpful in directing us to the best wineries.  Did I mention that all the motel rooms we booked included fridge, cooking stove, microwave, cooking pots and pans and dishes, sink for doing dishes, dinette, either luxury shower or Jacuzzi or both, free Internet, Sky TV and really, really comfy beds… really nice for about 90-100 USD/night.

Easy to cook a full meal in any motel room!
                                 

As for wineries this is our score:
–       SILENI – Le Plateau Pinot Noir –  Great place for picnic, great hostess!

De La Terre: Craftsmanship wherever you look

        De La Terre – Chardonnay, Viognier, Blanc de Blanc, Noble Viognier– What a beautiful boutique winery!  Hand-crafted buildings, furnishings, and a passionate wine maker!

–       Te Awa – Merlot/Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo – Another genial host and fun tasting.  But the restaurant is a rip-off, expensive and bad food!

–      Trinity Hill – Marsane/Viognier – This is a big winery, catering more to the big-volume Asian export than crafting wines for the local taste.

Dramatic setting of Craggy Range

–       Craggy Range – SOPHIA Gimlet Gravels – Another big winery, a futuristic building in a stunning location, with a long-range vision backed by Australian money.  Although we found the wines over-priced for the taste, we did settle on a few bottles of SOPHIA, because you just can’t leave Hawkes Bay without some Gimlet Gravels in your cellar! Unfortunately, the restaurant was full for dinner, so we had to regale ourselves with the retail manager’s stories, as he was fresh from working for Michel Guerard at Les Pres d’Eugenie.





NAPIER – Food heaven!  Napier is a city like no other.  Rebuilt in Art Deco style after an earthquake, it’s the mecca of shopping and restaurants.  Our best experience:  BISTRONOMY, where innovative cuisine leaves you with tingling and teased taste buds.  They now serve a Pavlova for desert that I really want to hear about!  The 6-course menu (oh-so-tiny portions!) with 6-wine degustation is worth every penny!

Travis always has a funny story to tell
–       MISSION Estate Winery – Historical, the first winery in NZ, and a must on the circuit.  Perhaps not the best wines, but a fun experience nonetheless.  Travis, the retail manager, will regale you with stories and make you laugh!

–       Moana Park – Viognier, Syrah, Tawny Port 20yo – Another lovely spot for a picnic, genial host and good tasting.  We had already tasted the 10 Y.O. Port (available at Botello shops) but were just blown away by the 20 year old… get it while it lasts!

After all this wine and food, we needed some serious recreation… off camping with Jeremy Burfoot north of Gisborne.  We’re not much of campers and the weather was neither warm nor dry, but reuniting with Jeremy 8 years after he had come to visit us in Paraguay was quite a moment, along with meeting the entire Burfoot Clan, mama included!  Stay tuned with our upcoming adventure with The Burfoot!

We had about 5 seconds flat to grab our gear and hop on The Whai

COROMANDEL Peninsula – Some say the coastal drive along the Coromandel is difficult, and yes, it is a very windy road.  But the landscape is stunning, lush vegetation of pines and ferns on one side, vertiginous drops over the ocean on the other side… pristine, wild, very NZ.  We arrived Whitianga at our friends’ John and Ann (M/Y WHAI) whom we had met in Fiji only to be ordered to hop on the WHAI for an overnight fishing trip.  OH yes, Captain John Ellwood is the undisputed KING of fishing!  He runs the historical WHAI in masterful fashion and the 12 of us on board are only too happy to fish, cook, dive, clean fish, eat and drink, and mostly laugh!  If you are in Whittianga, check out Marine Adventures and book a trip with John!
As charter Captain and fisherman, they don’t make it any better than John!

PUHOI – No trip in the Auckland area is complete without a stop a PUHOI.  Settled by the Bohemians, this little village proudly conserves its authentic and historical feeling. 



A picture is worth 1,000 yums!

            The PuhoiCheese Factory, though it doesn’t really offer tours or tastings, still caters to discerning cheese lovers.  We loved the Blue (NZ knows Blue Cheese!) and the washed rind Brie.  But, disappointingly, no picnic is allowed, even if you buy your cheese and bread from the store.  You ALSO have to buy your lunch from the deli… nothing was really appetizing, so we moved on to the best picnic spot in town:…

The veranda outside our room… 

            The PuhoiPub and Hotel… no problem… just buy a pint and open your picnic box at one of the outdoors tables (or get some mussel fritters and wedges), watch the crowd go by… motorbikes, families, classic cars, lovers, rowdy kids, friends, enemies… lively spot!  We stayed for the night at the hotel, lounging on the balcony, sipping port (the house even brought us a bottle of Moscatel!) and listening to friends insult each-other and laughing while getting copiously drunk at the table below!

Early morning saw us pick up some fresh croissants and coffee at the Puhoi General Store where we really wanted to get oysters and wedges, but, at 7AM, didn’t dare ask!

It was fun and we have now been back on the water for 2 weeks, enjoying—really, really enjoying—cruising Great Barrier island, Kawau Island, and now starting in the Bay of Islands.

In Great Barrier, finally they meet: DOMINO and IETA
GREAT BARRIER ISLAND – So many anchorages, so many fishing spots, so little time!  It’s easy to load on fish and seafood here… drop a bottom line for snapper or Blue cod; hunt around the kelp and rock for Kingfish (yellowtail); dive for scallops; forage on the rocks for oysters; clean the underneath of barrels for mussels; snorkel the rocks for crayfish;  if you don’t catch it, someone might even give it to you! 


IETA
Encounters?  Oh yes!  The 78’ powercat IETA  joined us one day… we had been corresponding by email for years and here we are: IETA from New Caledonia, and DOMINO from Paraguay!  Simply put, IETA is the next generation of powercats, and I urge you to take a close look at the photos… Marc Deborde is an amazing innovator!

Cool garages and boarding platforms on IETA
But wait!  There is more!  Who else shows up next to IETA and DOMINO in Nagles Cove?  None other than The WHAI, loaded with 10 rowdy boys!  Now, that was a historical meeting:  the original WHAI, possibly the first powercat ever built,  DOMINO, the elegant passagemaker, and IETA, the futuristic expedition boat.  With crepes and beer to celebrate the moment, what can be better?

When the WHAI visits, it’s all about fun… Chandeleur’s crepes for all!

Of course, John invited JP for a quick hunting trip… and JP didn’t disappoint… a nice Kingfish, AKA Yellowtail.

Historical encounter: JP (Domino), Marc Deborde (Ieta) and John Ellwod (The Whai)
JP’s birthday catch!

Mansion Cove, on Kawau, is a favorite day anchorage on Kawau
KAWAU Island – Across from Omaha Bay, Kawau Island is an easy 1-hour ride from Leigh.  Time to pick-up some friends.  After Jeremy and Manola Burfoot (yes, there will be more on this later) it was Anthony Stanton’s turn to join us.

Jeremy and Manola Burfoot … happy fishing… yes, Jeremy caught dinner!
            
A VISIT FROM ANTHONY STANTON….

Tony is all smiles: the boat he had in his head and drew on paper
is all he had envisioned… and then some!

Anthony Stanton is DOMINO’s daddy.  Sure, Malcolm Tennant designed the hulls and had it all in his head, but the one who crunched the numbers, drew the plans, and supported us during all the construction phase is none other than Anthony Stanton. 

“Let’s see that wake….”

The best moment? Tony hanging upside down from the rail while DOMINO was charging at 20 knots, taking pictures of the bow entry and the “no wake” print of these beautiful hulls.  We just couldn’t wipe the grin off his face.  If we’ve ever seen a proud and happy yacht designer/engineer/architect, that was our Tony… we are so proud and thankful, Mr. Stanton!!!  DOMINO is a gem!

“Look, Daddy!  No wake at 20 kts!”

And now starts a new chapter in our Cruising NZ adventure… more with Jeremy Burfoot and his PWC buddies… we are in Opua, Bay of Islands, getting ready for the SkiNz for Melanoma event… but more on this in the next blog!

Side trip: hooked a marlin, fought it for 2 hours, brought it to the side of the boat…. Marlin breaks the fishing pole!
Catch and release!
Until then…

dominomarie

New Year in New Zealand

By on January 1, 2016 in Domino
 



2016 – NY in NZ

January 2, 2016 – Whangarei, New Zealand


JP taking out the big tool for a big job!
Happy New Year from New Zealand…. I know, this wasn’t supposed to be.  We were supposed to stay in Fiji for the hurricane season, but an unplanned encounter with a reef on the north coast of Vanua Levu forced us to change our cruising plans.  So, New Zealand it is, and not such a bad idea after all, considering T.C. ULA currently weaving its way between Fiji and Tonga.

T.D. 07 hit Fiji bull’s eye yesterday, and T.C. ULA is headed towards Vulaga
What happened?  We hit the reef again… not a big reef, not a big hit, but scratched enough fiberglass to want to come south to repair.  The north coast of Fiji’s north island of Vanua Levu is fairly well marked from the Bligh Waters to Labasa.  But east of Labasa is pretty wild country: you’re on your own! 
Sharing rugby balls with the boys in KIA was fun… thanx Back Bay Rugby!

Celebrating Dewali at Palmela Lodge, close to Labasa, was delightful

NAVIGATION – Beside our rather useless Navionics charting for Navnet 3D, we always run iSailor on our iPads to get more info.  It has worked pretty well so far and we were happy with iSailor.  But on the north coast of Vanua Levu, even iSailor doesn’t come close.  So, JP pulled out his dreaded Windows 8 computer and installed Open CPN with Google charts, benefiting from tracks from previous cruisers.  He had also downloaded SAS Planet and was running it in alternance with Open CPN.  Problem is, you can’t have SAS Planet and Open CPN/GOOGLE sharing the same GPS dongle.  You have to choose one or the other.  So, we chose OpenCPN…

We followed the tracks on Open CPN, made it OK going east… but went 4 feet inside the track on the way back and hit the reef!  

Google photo didn’t show it, there was no stick or beacon to mark the bommie, the water was muddy, the visibility was flat.
Starboard keel: Lapacho ironwood is quite munched up, but saved out bottom!
Bummer…. When we finally opened SAS planet, there it was, our bommie that had just scratched a nice dent in the port bow and kissed the starboard bow.  Had we opened SAS Planet instead of Open CPN, we would have been safe. 
Starboard bow: ouch… but not deep
After patching it up
The damage was easy enough to patch with underwater epoxy putty, but the decision was unanimous: go fix it in New Zealand.

Once more, the underwater epoxy saved us!
Within 48 hours we were underway, with a promising weather window in spite of the 35 knots greeting us on our exit south of Nadi Bay.  We should have remembered to close the forward ventilation hatches as we hit the 8’ head seas: salt water would not have forced its way up the vents and spilled on the helm panel, frying the alternator controller for the house battery system.  Which means, no battery charging on our engine alternators.   No problem, right?  The newly-installed wind generator would easily provide power for our steering systems… that was without taking into account 30-35 knots of wind, and after a few hour of service, our brand new wind generator gallantly died!  (Note: I’m not crushed… this turbine was noisier than a jet plane on take-off!)   Still, we made the remaining 1,100 NM on power from the solar panels during the day (lucky for us, there was some sun) and from our trusty 12 KW Northern Light genset.    We made the 1,200 NM trip in just under 120 hours, arriving Marsden Cove at midnight, sweetly docking Big D under a welcoming New Zealand drizzle.

Safely docked at Marsden Cove Marina, the customs entry point in Whangarey
Customsentry was easy and free…  Bruce, the customs officer, was on board first thing in the morning, pleasant and efficient.   NOTE::: NEW CUSTOMS FEES STARTING 01 JAN 2016 – NZ $19 on entry; NZ $4 on exit. 

Just a small section of the bacon aisle at the market…. no wonder they confiscated our vegan food and chicken!

Agricultural Service was awful… they emptied ALL our cupboards, lockers, bins and took all our vegetarian food: all popcorn, seeds for sprouts (but not Chia seeds), all dried beans and peas (but not lentils), all chicken and meat product, all eggs (fresh AND boiled), all fresh vegetables, even when peeled and cut and chopped… nothing raw!  Took a look a all our spices, flour, inspecting for any possible bug; questioned our dried vanilla beans; inspected our straw hats for any sign of mold; took our dried coconut flakes (not dried enough!)   When they had filled an entire trash bag, they sealed it and tossed about $300 of good food into a roll-away bin, locked it, swallowed the key and marched away with a smug smile… be warned!  It’s a food war out-there…  
Philippe & Antoinette, S.Y. Jehol, discover Fish & Chips
all we could do was commiserate with our neighbors on Jehol and go out for a fish-and-chips so greasy that I it gave me enough heartburn for the rest of the season… never again!

My favorite fishing boat!
A few days later, we hauled out at Norsand boatyard in Whangarei, where we have been working hard for the last month.  JP has repaired the hull damage. 

Smooth, gentle haulout, much kinder than the cradle!  Good job!
Port side patch held well… startboard appeared to be just a scratch but was a surprising shock-wound

Interestingly, the starboard bow–which showed hardly any more than a scratch—had, in fact, suffered internally from the shock.  Upon exploration of a small oozing wound, Dr. JP found that an entire section had delaminated under the skin.  This was a deep wound indeed and he had to cut out all the dead tissue, grind down to the healthy tissue, repair and patch and glass: much more work than anticipated, but had to be done.

Exploring more of this little oozing on starboard…

Of course, time to grind the hulls and do the bottom paint.  This time, I found that a total face mask saved my eyes and lungs!

In the end, it was quite a debridment job and a surprising shock-enduced delamination

JP is also changing the chain chutes.  After 500 anchor retrievals, we found out that the chain sometimes bundled at the mouth of the chute.  Problem: the mouth of the chute was a bit too far from the exit of the windlass, and the chain wasn’t falling quite vertically into the chain locker.  By shortening the distance between the windlass and the chain cute, JP solved both problems at once.  The new chutes are much smaller, perhaps better-looking, though I loved my “big ship” chutes!

Other fixes while on land? 

Porthole leak – One of our fixed portholes started to leak, taking in sea water.  WHY???  JP just determined that galvanic corrosion between the aluminum frame of the porthole and the stainless steel screw was the culprit.  

Solution? Tap a new screw.  Phew!  I was afraid we would have to pull out the entire porthole, and that would be a huge mess!

And who happens to sail into Whangarei unannounced?  Claude & Annie on S.V. Moemiti,
Did we like those NZ mussels?  You think?

Singing Prop – For some time now, we’ve noticed that one of our props was singing at a certain RPM, usually around 1000 RPM.  Upon inspection, we also noticed a bit of pitting.  We called on the local propsmith who diagnosed a small amount of cavitation, easily fixed by filing the edges and smoothing out the prop.  While the props will be off the boat, JP decided to have them treated with PropSpeed, a silicone-based compound that, hopefully, will reduce barnacle and nasty growth as long as we keep the props running fairly often (at least every 2 weeks, we’re told.)

Meeting cruisers at their beautiful home on the Tutukaka Coast
Antifouling Paint – After 6 years on the water and 3 different anti-fouling paint, we’re still unhappy with the marine growth with find.  Awlgrip was OK and lasted us 2 years through Brazil, the Carribean and the East Coast of USA – Seahawk 44 with tin barely lasted a year, from Panama to French Polynesia: warm water is a toughie.  Pettit Trinidad lasted us a year (French Polynesia to Fiji) and is now to be redone.  Considering the cost of Haulout and the strenuous work involved, we’re still trying to find a paint that will last at least 2 years!  Here is what we’ve learned so far:

–       Never stay at a marina more than a week or two; marinas are full of barnacles that release their eggs and stick to your bottom!

–       The more coats, the more protection.  If you’re going to paint, give it at least 2 coats of antifouling.

–       Spray rather than roll.  Our original Awlgrip was sprayed on and lasted at least 2 years, almost 3.  The subsequent jobs were rolled-on, not so durable.  Sprayed-on paint gives a smoother finish, harder for bugs to stick to.

–       Once painted, put the boat back in the water as soon as possible.

–       Rather than black paint (absorbs more heat) use a plain red antifounling (no added pigment) or blue (less heat-absorbing than black.)

  What paint this time?  Jotung 90… we’ll let you know.   Antifouling paint is a nasty subject, though and through, a necessary evil!

Well, while JP is replacing the Ample Power regulator, I’m packing!  Right!  I need a vacation… and I’m taking JP with me!

The best part of NZ?  Food and wine!

We rented a car and we’re off for a 2-week trip through the north island: seafood on the Coromandel Peninsula, camping with Jeremy Burfoot in Gisborne, and wine touring in Napier.

We love our stay in NZ.  The shopping is easy, oysters and mussels and scallops are always on the menu, wines beg to be discovered and micro-brewed beers are delectable.

That’s how they launch their boats in Whangarei Heads
Off we are, then…. Till next time!

dominomarie

Yasawas: waypoints & routes

By on November 19, 2015 in Domino

Yasawas… As we saw them…. Here are DOMINO’s waypoints and routes.  We use iSailor as one of our navigation tools.

Yasawas: Waya (North)

By on November 19, 2015 in Domino
WAYA – North harbor – Nalawaki

Nalawaki
The wind was up again and we needed a better shelter than Navadra.  On the chart, the bay north of Waya Island looked like good protection. 

Off we were, dropped the hook in what looked like a sand patch between grass beds, hoping for some shelter from the tall mountains around.  But all is not as it seems and a few hours later, our sense of security was shaken.

 

The most helpful crew!

Going to shore in Nalawaki is a bit of a challenge.  The reef is super-shallow and extensive.  Just aim for the fishing boat moorings and head straight for the rolling swell on the beach.  The local on the beach will help you land, anchor your dinghy off the surge, and watch it while you are at the village.

The elementary schoolchildren gave us a little concert!
Another Sevu-Sevu ceremony.  This time, the whole village was involved since it was Monday and the tourists from Octopus Resort had walked the trail to participate ($15/person…) – Of course, we had to visit the school where all of the 6 kids sang for all of us and (again) a donation was encouraged.  We were getting a bit tired of being nickeled-and-dimed at every corner, especially when at the end of the Sevu Sevu ceremony, all the women set up their craft stands and we were once more cornered into donations and craft-buying.  This was getting old!

And the Village welcomed the visitors
Back to the boat, the girls and I got into one of our favorite activities, messing up the galley!  We were laughing so much that we hardly noticed the 30-35kts screaming down the hill, until Tehane-li  hailed us on the VHF.  “DOMINO!  You’re dragging anchor!”  JP, always sure of his anchor, was quick to reply: “I don’t think so… I haven’t dragged in over 4 years!”    -“Well, you were ahead of us and now you’re behind us,” continued our friend Karel…  it was pitch-black out-there, but i-Sailor confirmed: we had dragged 200 yards, quickly losing ground on the down-sloping grass bed!  It took us 30 minutes in screaming winds and rain but we finally re-anchored, carefully re-set in the dark, patiently worked together, and set the Drag Queen alarm.  
Wind can scream down this hill!
By the time we were secured, the girls had finished cooking dinner, set the table and were ready to serve us… I call that a darn good crew!

The next day was blowing 25 kts again but sunny.  Since Maddie had a shooting assignment from her swimsuit sponsor, we decided to hoof it over the hill to Octopus resort on the west coast of Waya.  
Q & Zo… best friends since Kindergarten
The resort is very welcoming to cruisers and we started to take pix of this little 16 year-old in tiny bikinis while Zo and Q enjoyed the pool.  
How windy and nasty was the weather?  Nasty enough for one of the resort’s panga to have it the reef and needing a haul out, and the other panga riding rough at anchor.

Hitting the reef and having to repair is never fun
We were really getting tired of all this wind and nasty weather, so we decided to continue North and find the most sheltered possible anchorage:  Blue Lagoon.
Maddie … our little swimsuit model!
Until then…

dominomarie

Yasawas: Navadra

By on November 19, 2015 in Domino

CRUISING THE YASWAS: NAVADRA

Miss Zoe redefines LEAPING!
NAVADRA –  

Fortunately, the wind turned back to the east and we made it to Navadra the next day.  


Add caption
This is, by far, our favorite spot in all of the Mamanucas and Yasawas.

“Stormtrooper Rock”

We nicknamed it “Stormtrooper Island” for the rock that stnads guard at the west end of the bay.

Uninhabited, those 2 islands form a heart-shaped anchorage, with good sand bottom, and fringed by pristine reef.  

We dropped the hook and let the girls explore. 
Lifeguard Maddie encourages and protects!
Swimming to shore seemed easier that taking the dinghy, since Maddie – always alert to surfing conditions—had asserted that the surf was a strong and we could have a rough landing.  

Coris
Nice to have a Lifeguard and surfer girl on board! 


Zoe getting the hang of it
For 3 days, we just enjoyed this lovely spot, meeting with more cruisers (hm-hm—boys came to visit and look at surfing photos with our girls… awkward to be a teenager… giggles all around…)  and completing our shell collection, of course.  

Q is actually sitting on a rock, hanging over the coral…

We were lucky with calm conditions inside the bay, which allowed for plenty of clear snrokeling above pristine reef and plenty of fish, in spite of the cold water.  By the 3rd dive, our younger crew was getting the hang

Love those blennies!

of snorkeling basics, clearing their ears to dive and staying flat and still on the water… the most fun place!


Never getting tired of this!

Yasawas: Waya (South)

By on November 19, 2015 in Domino

Cruising the  YASAWAS
We’re all dressed for Sevu Sevu

 

That’s where the fun cruising in Fiji begins, along the extended chain of the Yasawa Group.  But we were still plagued with high winds and big seas, so our plans and routes altered daily.

WAYA island – South Harbor : Namata 

Women rely on their crafted goodies for income.
The Captain Cook cruise ship calls at the village every week!
First order of the day: catch a fish. 
DINNER!
On the way to Waya Island, we exited the reef and started trolling.  It was a blessing that we caught a yellowfin tuna before the second cut in the reef:  JP and Zoe were green around the gills, thanks to 8’ beam seas and gusts at 27kts!  But we had our fish and we soon found the relative shelter of the reef.   The wind was still blowing around 25kt, but the seas were significantly smaller. 
Vegetable garden…. tomatoes and eggplants
The plan had been to anchor at Navadra.  But with the northerly blowing as it was, we were soon forced to seek shelter at the south end of Waya nd patiently wait for the weather to turn back to the normal E-SE trades.

Weaving pandanus mats is a never-ending activity… this woman is the village champion!
The village of Namata welcomed us for Sevu-Sevu.  Not too reluctantly, the girls wrapped themselves in pareos, covered their shoulders, and experience the Fijian tradition of presenting Yagona (kava root) to the chief.  
Q loves to meet the kids and spoil them with lollipops (and we also donate toothpaste!)
But within minutes of our arrival, all the women had unpacked their craft, trying to sell us souvenir shells and tapas, and we obliged.  Our guide asked us if we’d like to see the village and buy fresh fruit and of course we obliged.  It’s only when we were back at the beach that the “guide” asked us for a $15 donation and an extra $10/person if we wanted to walk the hiking trails.  


Shopping for breadfruit!
We start to wonder what is the use of doing Sevu-Sevu and being accepted as one of the village if we have to pay a guide to walk around… 
Trust “Fafa” to teach the girls all about coconuts
We went snorkeling in front of the school instead, as the girls made the delight of a few young boys wading in the shallows (did I mention it was an all-boy school?)


Namata is one of the best shelling beaches we’ve encountered
Grating coconut to make coconut milk!

Cruising the Mamanucas

By on November 10, 2015 in Domino
FIJI: CRUISING THE MAMANUCAS AND YASAWAS

(or… a vacation diary for my granddaughters)

Maddie and Zoe having the best of times
Palmela Lodge – November 10, 2015

Musket Cove: going to the sandspit

PART I – THE MAMANUCAS

Dinner with 3 gorgeous teenager… a happy grandpa!

 When our daughter announced that she was shipping her girls off for a two-week vacation on DOMINO, we were overjoyed.  Maddie (16) and Zoe (13) were joined by  their friend “Q” (12) and I couldn’t wait to have a great time with this lively bunch.  That’s what grandparents are for: taking the kids cruising!  So, we docked at Port Denarau for a night, raced through our chores, and JP was at Nadi airport at 0530 to pick-up our precious cargo.

At the dock, what did we find but a fish that had landed on our swim platrform!
As soon as they set foot on board, the girls relaxed.  It was their second trip with us and already they were old hands at setting up their bunks, navigating the galley, and tossing the lines… not without ogling the superb male specimen exercising their bulging muscles on the mega-yacht DRAGONFLY that dwarfing us at the dock.  A hearty breakfast and by 10 AM we were underway—destination: Musket Cove

Maddie, eager to get the dink in the water
1 – MALOLO Island

Breakfast, DOMINO style
Denarau to Musket Cove, South Malolo route

Just 16 miles west of Port Denarau is Malolo Island, the main cruising hub for the Mamanucas and their many luxury resorts. 


Malolo to Denarau, North Malolo route

MUSKET COVE MARINA – See previous blog for waypoints

Anything is fun1
Dubbed a “Disneyland for cruisers,” Musket Cove Resort and Marina beckoned the girls to play.  Fun volleyball on the beach, kayaking, paddleboarding, pool, beach BBQ and bar, it was all open to us as soon as we joined the “Musket Cove Yacht Club” with a lifetime membership for a nominal fee. 


Breakfast of champions…. ready to go surfing?
But Maddie was in for some serious surfing.  For a girl on the surfing team at Marina High School in Huntington Beach (AKA “Surf City”) it was a must to give CloudBreaka try.  This legendary wave breaks outside the reef and we arranged for a local to pick her up.  At 0530 she was having a nice breakfast, soon joined by her cheering section, and at 0600 the local long boat picked her up.  We just stood on our aft platform, watching the boat’s phosphorescent wake disappear into the night.  By 10 AM I was frantic: our girl wasn’t back, but the tour operator assured me they were probably having a good time.  Indeed… it was almost noon when Maddie reappeared, beaming, telling us all about the “best barrel of her life.”

I wonder who is more nervous: Maddie, or me, watching her leave in the dark with a big Fijian guy!
Off to the sandspit.  The big attraction at Malolo is the sandspit, a tongue of white sand that uncovers at low tide.  Since we were experiencing one of the lowest tides of the year, we had a blast, collecting sandollars, moon shells and taking a good look at several giant helmets that had strayed in the shallows.  Looked but didn’t collect since Helmets are a protected specie.  

Although JP and I thought the water was cold (23c) the girls didn’t mind; nothing bothered them, neither the relative cold (in the 70’s), neither the wind gusting at 20-25kt, neither the laden skies and rain.  They snorkeled their hearts out around the sandspit in search sea anemones and clown fish. 

Hard to see? Octopus morphing
Our next snorkeling spot was off the green mark on the reef.  Maddie led us into a discovery swim: octopus, moray eel, sea cucumbers, parrotfish and fish of enough color to dazzle the most jaded snorkeler.

2 – CASTAWAY Island – 17*43.04S, 177*08.85E
Track and anchorages at Castaway: with good visibility, this track is safe.

– Remember the movie Castaway?  It was filmed in the Mamanucas, not far from Malolo.  




Looks familiar?
Castaway Anchorages (daytime only) 17*43.542 S, 177*08.509E  or 17*43.731S, 177*08.419E – Coral bottom, not good holding.  Alternative anchorage in front of the Castaway Resort.

Liz & Jon on their honeymoon….
Although we didn’t stop at Castaway with the girls—the weather was too rough–we did make a stop a few months later with my niece Liz and her husband Jon.  They were on their honeymoon, on a layover between Auckland and L.A. and stuck in their hotel at Vuda Point, with nothing to do.  So we picked them up at Saweni Beach and whisked them away to Musket Cove, then to Castaway Island for a nice snorkel.  What did Liz see, but 2 large wahoos resting at the bottom, taunting us! It would be days before we saw wahoo again.


3 – There are other cruising spots in the Mamanucas:
– Mana is a favorite among cruisers, although we didn’t try it, eager to continue north, away from the tourist spots and luxury resorts.
– Honeymoon reef – a dinghy trip for the day
– Cloud 9 –  A floating bar that serves–I’m told– excellent pizza… not being bar flies, we skipped Cloud 9 and moved north.
What is sweeter than a grandaughter?
Having the girls on board is pure joy, from breakfast to dinner time!
Off to the Yasawas…
 Till then,
dominomarie

Fiji: Around Lautoka

By on November 8, 2015 in Domino
Around Lautoka

In search of Hurricane Holes

November 8, 2015 – Yadua Island (Vanua Levu)

Something happened to me in Fiji… I reset my clock to Fiji Time, and it had nothing to do with crossing the International Date Line.  Instead, it had everything to do with slowing down and taking time to enjoy… the sceneries, the people, the marvelous underwater life.  All in all, taking the excuse of a broken computer keyboard, I stopped writing, started to play the ukulele, and just did nothing but soak up the surrounding calm and beauty, letting JP and Domino happily shuttle me from one place to the other.  Where have we been?  I suppose it’s about time to share our Fiji experience with you.

From Port Denarau to Vitogo Bay, there are several anchoring and marina options

Around Lautoka.  Since we have decided to stay in Fiji for the cyclone season, one of our tasks has been to survey the possible hurricane holes and available marinas.  What is the risk of cyclone in this “El Nino” year?  1.5 the normal risk, if you are to believe FijiMet.  Yet, according to satellite imagery, a finger of cold water extending towards Fiji seems to somewhat protect the area, while French Polynesia seems more at risk than we are.  Who knows?  Regardless, we need to develop a strategy in addition to our plan for a quick getaway at sea, which requires our tanks well fueled-up at all times. 

Megayacht “Dragonfly” exits Denarau
Want to charter it?

– Port Denarau –VHF 11 –  A world-class marina and home to the most prestigious yachts around, Denarau does not have moorings for yachts longer than 15 meters.  Space at the dock is at a premium but we still managed to secure a spot when our granddaughters joined us for a 2-week cruise in the Yasawas.  In 16 hours, we managed to knock down 5 loads of laundry (the only hot-water washers in all of Fiji!), take delivery of our groceries from FarmBoy (928-6371), receive our major shopping load from Cost U Less  take the $1 bus to finish provisioning in Nadi Town, raid Denarau’s luxury deli for cheese, chips and salsa, and the Wine store for Fiji rum (55 degrees strong!) – When Denarau has no room inside, the only solution is to anchor outside (Malan Cay), where the barge traffic is nasty and the dinghy ride rather wet. 

Port Denarau Marina, the “outer anchorage” at Malan Cay, and the “Bamboo” anchorage
deep inside Nadi Bay, close to the airport… beware the reefs!

Other solution: anchor in Nadi Bay, in front of the “Bamboo” backpacker hotel.  Taxis are always eager to take you to town for half the price than the Denarau cabs.  Just take your dink up the beach.  At night, enjoy the many fire-dancing shows on the beach.

As for cyclone strategy at Denarau, the marina holds a seminar and the marina crew will lead boats up the mangrove at Denarau, but it’s a small spot, crowded with boats… not the best option.

VUDA POINT MARINA (Extension being proposed)

Vuda Point Marina

– Vuda Point Marina– VHF 14 – A favorite among cruisers, Vuda has room for 40 boats inside its circular lagoon.  It also has one temporary/quarantine mooring buoy outside: wow! Rough anchorage…  We left Domino for a month at Vuda and were happy with the care.  
The staff at Vuda Point is always eager to please
Oktoberfest was a blast!

MUSKET COVE MARINA

Vuda is our favorite fueling dock in Fiji: easy access and high sides.  It’s a good place to leave your boat during cyclone season, in the “keel pits.”  It’s also a good place to haul out small boats for a quick paint job.  But not for us…

The lagoon at Muket Cove, home of our sistership, the Malolocat IV
– Musket Cove Marina– VHF 68 – On Malolo Island, Musket Cove is certainly a hit with the cruisers.  There are 20 berths and a number of mooring balls, capable to take yachts up to 25 Tons.  The marina is packed at the end of the season, after the Regatta and when the yachts await a weather window to make the passage to New Zealand… and then, it’s ghost town!  Last week, the marina was empty.  Cyclone hole?  Not really, except for one spot in the inside lagoon, where we could have left Domino… but didn’t.

The route to Musket Cove marina and anchorage.  Well marked, still watch the reef
A splendid Swan ketch ended up on Nuku reef last month!

– Lautoka – This is a big commercial harbor, not for us to wander into.  YET, the river leads deep into the mangrove and that’s ONE possible strategy in case of cyclone.  Call the Lautoka Pilot on VHF 16 and he’ll escort you up the mangrove.  Call early: 1st come, 1st served.

 This said, Lautoka is a great place for provisioning and various yacht services.  Rigging, electrical (we had to get an alternator fixed), you name it: cruisers town!

– Vitogo Bay – 17*33.946 S – 177*29.526 E – Slightly north of Lautoka, this large bay is where we escaped to when rough weather hit.  Not a cyclone hole per-se, it’s a good anchorage and can accommodate a large number of boats, with good holding in thick mud.  The NW end not protected by land is barred by 2 small reefs that cut the NW chop.  We spent a week hiding there, not feeling a breeze or a ripple on the water, while yachts everywhere else were slammed with 25-30 Kts, gusting at 40!  One drawback: access to shore may exist, but there is no road leading from shore to anywhere… this is swamp land.

North of Lautoka, Vitogo Bay is our favorite rough weather option

– Saweni Bay – 17*38.398 S – 177*23.711 E – Between Vuda Point and Lautoka, Saweni Beach is a convenient little anchorage, with excellent holding in “cement” mud, but to be entered with good visibility: Beware the rocks, especially on the SW of the bay.  On shore, the public beach is a favorite with the locals, with road access and bus stop, and the apartment complex has a small grocery store. So, it there is no room at Vuda Point Marina, Saweni Bay is an excellent anchoring option.

Between Vuda Point and Lautoka, Saweni Beach is an easy anchorage, with easy public access

– Dreketi Bay – 17*39.699 S – 177*22.998 E – Just south of Saweni Bay, Dreketi is a small inlet, open to the west.  Although we’ve noticed yachts anchored there, we didn’t explore it, mostly because we found it too open to the west.

Now that we feel better about our bad weather options, we are continuing our circumnavigation of Fiji.  The winter has been rather cold, the coldest in the last 10 years, with high winds and cold water, the fish has migrated to warmer waters and the snorkeling has been chilly, 4-mil wetsuit needed.  We have been dodging high winds all season, only enjoying a calm day in every 10 or so… rough cruising but still, it’s cruising and it’s beautiful.  So, let’s go cruising the Manamucas and Yasawas!

Till next time…

dominomarie