Chapter 173: Weather windows and passage anxiety…

We started our week in windy Port Denerau! On Monday, we went ashore to do some provisioning, dispose of oil from our oil change, and of course, eat some more Indian food! It was fairly calm in the morning when we left Meraviglia for shore. We had another great meal at Indigo and loaded up with a lot of provisions from the grocery store! One of the employees from the store very kindly walked us and our full cart of food down to the dinghy dock to load up which was incredibly helpful! As we headed out from the protected marina we quickly realized the wind and the waves were definitely up since we had departed in the morning! It was a very wet and bouncy dinghy ride back and our groceries might have gotten a little wet!! We departed from Denerau on Tuesday morning to return to the Yasawas as we continue to wait for a weather window to New Zealand.  We decided to return to the magical anchorage we had visited the week before with my sister Michelle, in Vuatu Bay.  We had a great trip over and it was just as lovely when we arrived for our second visit! This time however it was a bit busier! We could hear what sounded like construction work on shore.  We also had more boats in the anchorage including the cruise ship, Fiji Princess.

Bob spent two full days and about 10 hours in the water cleaning the hull of the boat. New Zealand has very, very strict requirements regarding biosecurity clearance into the country. This of course is to ensure protecting their marine environment and ensuring that vessels are not bringing unwanted pests and diseases into the country. However, it is the most intense process we have seen so far in the 22 countries we have visited.  We will need to send photos and videos prior to our departure to their officials to review.  Upon arrival, they will do an in person inspection and they can require you to have your boat hauled out and professionally cleaned upon arrival if you do not pass inspection. From the report of other cruisers who have already arrived, officials are being especially vigilant this year so Bob worked incredibly hard to get Meraviglia looking good! 

We also used our time in Vuatu to do some other passage preparations for New Zealand. Bob did a check of our life jackets and our PLB’s (personal locator beacons) while I reviewed our paperwork, created a passage meal plan, and reviewed and updated our ditch kit. I will be honest, I am struggling with a little anxiety about this passage. The combination of the very recent loss of our friend Hartwell who is missing at sea and the knowledge that this passage can be challenging with both sea state and gales has me a bit on edge. Doing the preparation and careful review of our safety systems has helped. And thank goodness Bob has been very patient with helping me to manage the anxiety. We actually recorded some information for an upcoming magazine article about our journey thus far and that was helpful too in reminding me how far we have come and how much we have learned since we first set off from Georgia, 22 countries ago!
On our final day in Vuatu Bay, we snorkeled a lovely coral garden that had a great variety of corals.  I recently signed  Meraviglia up with the International Seakeepers Society as a Citizen Science Yacht.  Part of that opportunity includes the Coral Watch Program.  CoralWatch combines coral health monitoring with education and public outreach, raising awareness about coral reefs and climate change. Using the Coral Health Chart, participants can easily measure changes in coral color caused by bleaching, even without prior training. The chart is available in 13 languages, making it accessible to people worldwide. While we were at Vuda Marina, Seakeepers mailed us the Coral Watch chart so that now when we go snorkeling at any location, we can chart and report information about the coral reefs we are viewing.  It is a great way to participate and use our travel to support ongoing research and participate in a global network dedicated to protecting reefs. It felt especially meaningful this week to begin our participation in this program with the passing of Jane Goodall.  She has long been a hero of mine and honestly I did not even know a quarter of the amazing work she has done over the years with her research and her institute.  She truly was an incredible human being and continues to inspire many.

On Friday, we traveled further north along the Yasawa island chain to Nacula Island and the Blue Lagoon resort.  What an incredibly beautiful location with lots of reefs for snorkeling.  It is an absolutely stunning place and I can see why the resort is so popular! There is not much wind predicted for the next day or two so we will be staying put and enjoying the opportunity to snorkel and kayak in the incredible locale! 

We are continuing to monitor the weather conditions for the passage to New Zealand.  We had a call with our sailing coaches at Sailing Totem to discuss routing, heavy weather sailing tactics, and weather. Jamie and Behan encouraged patience and waiting for the right window to depart and as always we appreciate their wisdom! There is a fairly large group of cruisers leaving this week with a tolerable window but they will likely face some uncomfortable upwind sailing and some bigger seas. The closer to November we get, the chances of a better window improves so we will continue to enjoy Fiji while staying ready to depart when the right window arrives!