Leaving Suva for Gau Island

Dateline: Suva, Fiji 29 June 2007
Cindy and I decided to go ahead and leave today to start the multi-day journey up to Savusavu on Vanua Levu Island. We were going to travel with Paul and Marie on Ranger, who we met on the 2004 Baja HaHa from San Diego to Mexico. Our first leg was not far, but Cindy and I were way more anxious about it than we should have been since it meant going through a very narrow and twisting passage inside the Suva Harbor reefs. These barrier reefs protect the south side of the coast for about 10 miles and are mostly submerged at high tide and exposed in places at low tide. We were going at low tide but that still meant we could hit bottom in any of the shallows. The passage is well marked from what we had heard but we followed Ranger any way.

As it turns out, Ranger almost missed a turn and almost hit the bottom first. They made a sudden correction in front of us to port and got back in to the channel. In spots it was less than 25 feet deep with the reefs close by on either side. We slowed down to just barely going a few places though and Marie was on the bow on Ranger and Cindy on the bow of Maggie Drum to look ahead for the low spots.

The reefs are very deceptive as they are up to a half-mile wide and not visible until you are right on them. You seem to be quite a ways from land and therefore "safe" and then whammo, you hit the reef. There were several hulks of ships and smaller boats that were on the outside reef rusting away in the tropical sun, high and dry on the reef edge. These were silent testimony to what not paying attention could mean. Our new Furuno chartplotter was spot-on for this passage though and it gives you a better feeling of security.

In any case, we only had to go 7 miles to the little island of Nukulau which guards the only other passage through the barrier reef system to the open ocean. We were going to stay overnight there and get a good start at dawn for the next leg to Gau Island. This was a Saturday so there were a few Fijians out on the reefs, which really dried to sand "islands" at spots at low tide. They were happily walking along the reefs where it would be chest deep in a few hours. We even saw one fellow way away from the shore in chest deep water throwing a fishing line. Must not be sharks inside there.

We anchored off Nukulau, which is a picture post card isle with palm trees swaying over the small sandy beach and rough dock. There were a few thatched huts and a regular house there with a few people lazing around that had come by boat from the main island. The whole island is no more than a small city block square and no one lives there now, not even the caretaker who used to be there.

We did not leave the next day as the forecast was for boisterous winds that would be on our nose to Gau. We sat out the day and relaxed. Unfortunately for Cindy and I we took a dose of a new anti-seasickness pill before we decided to call off the passage so these knocked us for a loop all day. Cindy napped most of it and I just fussed about.

We got a nasty shock on the local radio net in the morning though. The net is called the "Fiji Rag of the Air" and is run by a gringo cruiser who has more or less settled down in Fiji. He is friends with our friend, Bruce, in Anacortes, who met him years ago when he cruised out here. Anyway, the shock was that we heard the EPIRB (Emergency Portable I? Radio Beacon) of the 44 foot trimaran Elysium was set off and the US Coast Guard contacted the family who were listed as the contact people. You only are supposed to set these off if you are in dire straits, i.e. a Mayday situation that is life or major property threatening. I will go in to more on the next blog. How's that for suspense?

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