Category: Cruising

Peace, tranquility and a hernia!

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My very clever and lovely friend, Tara Cooney from Teller of Tales, made this little movie of our trip to the Queen Charlotte Sounds a couple of weekends ago.  She is available to make little movies and story books of your adventures too.

The nature photos are from one of our favourite anchorages – Ngaruru Bay in Tory Channel. The weather was meant to be South East so leaving from Tory is a good alternative, otherwise the wind is up your nose. It turned out that there was no East, but it’s nice to cross the Cook Strait from a different angle.

Happy adventure everyone.

PS… you will have to watch the video to see what I mean about a hernia!

 

 

Moce -bye – Fiji

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Today is the day this adventure ends. We have been in Fiji since early June. I am flying back tomorrow and Dean left to sail back yesterday with crew. After a rough day – with “synchronised puking” as Dean put it – they sheltered in Kadavu overnight without going ashore there. They left early this morning, aiming for Norfolk for now, in case they need to shelter again. The 25-30knots SE winds should start to ease from later tonight. The season has changed: The wind has not come round to the North like it usually does, so the trip may take longer. Also, clearing into New Zealand has changed. As of 1st of September 2018 there are only four ports that take pleasure boats (such a dumb word): Opua, Whangarei, Picton and Lyttleton. So plans to clear into New Plymouth have been given the boot and they’ll aim for Picton, weather permitting.

You can track Pebbles, Dean, Pete and Phil on: https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/Pebbles

Our trip this year has covered fewer nautical miles but more depth in experience. We stayed at Suva, Leleuvia, Ovalau, Makogai, Narai and Gau – all in the Lomaiviti Group of Islands in Central-Eastern Fiji. Location highlights: My first local bus in Suva; Colo-I-Suva forest park in Suva; Levuka town in Ovalau; walking at low tide in Makogai, where the turtle and clam hatchery is; beach photography at the teeny island off Nairai (17″48.501’S 179″23.630’E); star-gazing at Nawaikama anchorage, Gau Island; mangrove touring, Lami Bay, Suva; and realising (again) how amazing Dean is for supporting me and my research this year.

People highlights: Just too many to say. To sum this up: Fiji = saying hello and really meaning it. We’ll be back, I know it. Fiji, you are very special. It’s not goodbye, it’s sota tale – see you again.

Some photos are below. In our hearts are all the other photos, of the people we’ve met. Click on images for captions.

 

 

 

 

 

Kindness: Ovalau Island, Fiji

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Bula, bula, bula vinaka. It’s going to be a little hard to articulate our experiences over the past month. There are small things, mainly from the sea… sitting with the women on the beach, relaxing, then watching them suddenly rush to the water to catch sara, little fish; snorkelling at Damu Bay and feeling like I was swimming with the fish; watching the kids spearing fish in small rock pools with spears made of broken umbrella spokes and rubber, or making mud pie, transporting mud and water in a squished teapot; finding bits of roof in the sea from Cyclone Winston, everywhere, just everywhere. And there are big things…feeling the impact of how development has been rolled over this country. Mostly though, meeting people whose knowledge, kindness, wisdom and sense of fun has changed us.

We have been in Ovalau in Central Eastern Fiji (Lomaiviti province) for nearly a month. We usually only spend 2-3 days in one place when we are cruising. But when you stay longer you connect differently. Unfortunately some ning nong wrote in a few cruising guides that anchoring in Levuka was bad with poor holding and rolly seas, so there aren’t as many boats that come here now. Yes, it’s a little rolly sometimes but not so much, and the holding has been fine up to 20 knot winds. This town was the first capital of Fiji and has a long and eclectic European history. But more importantly, it has an important and fascinating pre-European history. It’s a place for all the villages around the island to meet up, selling produce, pick up a few supplies and get to Suva. Forget about your own agenda, and just relax. We’ve eaten at Whale’s Tail, Sea Site (our favourite – there’s a cute restaurant room at the back – great curry) and the Chinese restaurant above the bank. There’s just one street where you wander back and forward, and explore the back alleys and life. Senga la nega (don’t worry), you won’t get lost!

We then spent three weeks in villages around the island. Most were destroyed in Cyclone Winston in 2016. Their crops are growing back, but it’s unseasonably dry it’s slow growing. Seedlings for replanting just aren’t there. The richness here in other ways is overwhelming. My research is more like friendship that starts with kindness. You’ll have to read my thesis next year to find out more!

Fabric-113811

This is the first fabric created by one amazing woman. She is taking orders for Christmas presents. Contact me if you want one: $120-$200 + postage depending on size. Wall hanging, bed spread… money goes to the village Women’s Group so they can attend expo’s to sell their creations.

Our favourite, unassuming place is Damu Bay, on the North West of Ovalau, between Taviya and Rukuruku. You can sail inside the reef from Leleuvia Island. It’s small and unassuming and the sunset is surreal. It’s good holding in sand too with only a slight swell.  You can bush-bash to the wee road – left takes you to the village of Taviya, and right takes you to the village of Rukuruku. Yes, you must do sevusevu (in Taviya). I get sick of cruisers who try to avoid sevusevu. It’s a really big insult – this is Fiji and respecting their customs is the very least you can do. Would you like it if someone came and camped on your front lawn without saying hi? If you are just there overnight its okay to not do sevusevu, but if you go on the beach or visit the village, or walk on the road, please do. Ask anyone and they may take you up to the top of the mountain too. It’s anywhere between 2-10 hours depending on how far you go and how fit you are.

We are in Levuka again now to drop Laura off, Dean’s daughter. She has joined us from New Zealand for an action-packed week. It’s been so fantastic being able to share this with her – now she will know what we rave about at home!  Then we are off to Makogai Island to see the bubby turtles, and then my final research location – Gau Island. Then back to Suva for a few weeks before we head home to New Zealand. I think part of our hearts will always be in Fiji, with the people we have met. Zeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Wind generator-162859

Dean’s new toy, Electic D400 wind generator. Our batteries were draining too much overnight and now they don’t. Yippee. Also, we no longer have to turn the engine on just to recharge the batteries. It’s not noisy. It’s like a wind chime really.

Click on the photos below to read the captions.

 

 

 

Blurry, but once again, a dinghy ride means either going to an adventure or coming back from one. I have now perfected the art of flicking my jandals into the dinghy as I get off onto the boat. So talented.
Art work made of dried fish scales and painted. The women here are very, very creative and clever. EVERYTHING can be considered creative.
Pigs, prized possessions, and the first thing the kids wanted us to see.

 

 

Can’t see the wrinkles when you have glasses on.
My fabulous friend, Salote. See you in Wellington, brrrrrrr!
The Levuka Town Council office, one of the oldest buildings in Levuka. It’s like a 1920s theatre, stage and all.
The back of the Royal Hotel.
Sigh.
Recycling, we think.
The commemoration of when Fiji was handed over to the colonial Government. I am biting my tongue.
What is it about this place?
Levuka, side street.
Where there is a will there is a way here.
No rubber bands for this bokchoy.
Oh my sweetie darling.
Breakfast. Snack. Lunch. Dinner.
Thank you Reuben and Asina, and Helen and Betty xox
This church was made in early 1900s out of coral. Winston only blew the roof off.
Low tide.
A village in Lovoni, in the interior of Ovalau.
SUP, village style.
Dean looking for a good place to anchor. Another cruiser gripe of mine – please don’t drop your anchor on a patch of coral. This coral feeds the fish, which feeds the people.

 

 

Fairy lights in Suva

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Ni sa bula vinaka!

I feel like we’ve been away from Mana for months and months. The trip to Fiji from Opua was, well, a mix of glorious moments and shite. Bashing and crashing (and sounds that feel like the boat is splitting in half) into 25-30 knot head winds that were not forecast; yet a flying fish landed on our boat and the expansive feel of just being in the ocean is gorgeously overwhelming and cannot be placed. Minerva Reef was an amazing place to get out of the waves and wind to recover and swap “did you get enough East in” stories. We even managed to go for a walk on the reef there, at low tide. Well, Steve and Dean did as I sat in the dinghy, watching them in the distance get fainter and fainter in the pouring rain haze. They walked over to the outer side of the reef and stood facing the ocean. Lucky there was no freak wave. I wished I’d pushed myself to get out of the dinghy, but the it was getting dark and the tide was rapidly rising. I had horror images of the dinghy being washed away from the coral bomby it was tied to and us not being able to get back. I live in some very uncomfortable places.

We motored most of the way after that. Oh I LOVE motoring. The boat is flat and the fear to enjoy ratio is lower than usual. Yes, amazing sunsets and surreal feeling of being in a little plastic thing in the big ocean, but I’m still in fight-or-flight mode much of the time. Our gorgeous and capable and considerate crew, Steve, bought lots of fun chats and lighter moments. And he was incredible when it got rough, staying up Dean the whole night. I’ve absolutely come to the conclusion that the most important thing about choosing crew is not to base it on experience, but whether you like them or not. After 10 days cooped up in boat, that is what you are going to care about.

Arriving in Suva was a very smiley experience. The smell of smoke and musk, the chaos of local boats, yachts, cargo ships, fishing vessels and other things that may or may not float. And in Suva Harbour there are many wrecks, some on the charts and some not. The first night was hell – 50 knots and a little bumper boat party. One of the passenger ships broke anchor and smashed into a yacht, which smashed into another yacht, which smashed into another yacht. Clever Pebbles sat in the middle, as the eye of the carnage, without a scratch. We did have to let out more chain in the dark, in 50 knots and steep waves, and 0 audibility as Dean was trying to guide me at the wheel. Steve was in the middle doing a great job of relaying Dean’s screams. The chart plotter wasn’t on so we had no idea where the wrecks were but we had to drive forward. Sigh. Hopefully our new home won’t be as traumatic as this again.

Unfortunately we can’t berth at the Royal Suva Yacht Club because it’s too shallow. So it’s remote living for us. We’ll look at other options for anchoring, but for now, we’re stuck between a wreck and a barnacled fishing boat.  I start at university tomorrow, just to orientate myself, as I wait for a research visa. Fingers crossed. Then it’s off to Ovalau to study with the communities there.

Suva is what I thought it would be – slightly musky smelling, incredibly busy, fabulous markets, lots of color, Indian and Fijian and all that’s in-between, smiles, opulence and grot in the same place, and hothothot. As our lovely friend Kim would say, our eyeballs are sweating. I wish I’d got my hair cut short before I left. There’s hardly any white people which I love, somehow. I am a minority. Lots to think about.

As I write this Dean is teaching sailing! He has already connected with the local sailing school and is volunteering today. He looks right at home and I’m so proud of him. He’s actually an incredibly shy person. Yay Dean. The young sailors are ex-pats but we have ideas of adjusting Dean’s local school yachting programme.

So we are here. Our fairy lights are up in the cockpit which makes me feel like we are now home away from home: it’s like adding a bit of glamour to a place which is usually(for me) full of torturous night shifts and the ground falling out from under me. It’s going to be quite a year. I’m missing Zena so much at times my heart hurts. The Suva SPCA is five minutes away. I badly want to, and don’t want to, volunteer there.

Please, come join us. Get a cheap flight and keep Dean company.  This may help – how many layers of thermals do you have on today! Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Hover and/or over a photo below to read the caption. And I’ll soon upload some video on our You Tube channel (will post it) including the bumper boat party and arriving in Suva. We are thinking of you and send love to you all. Please email us (at our normal email addresses, not at the pebbles1@my iridium.net). Arohanui.

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t worry Caroline, Steve IS tethered on. He also has his clothes on.
Clever Dean’s new sea anchor and drogue set up, under the seat in our transom, ready to go.
Shelf-bra singlets – best thing to wear on passage, so you can be comfy awake and asleep.
Fiji flag – we have officially cleared. Was easy. Until we had to got to Biosecurity, Customs and Health the next day. Email us for advice on how to see the funny side.
The crew, smiling, unaware of what’s to come.
Suva Markets – pawpaw, lychee fury things, baby pineapple, skinny eggplants. Steve was wearing a sulu so it was almost more interesting to watch people find that funny than it was to find fruit and veges.
Yep.
Ah huh.
Yes, yes, yes…motoring. Yes.
Suva Harbour. Oh wow, we are here.
The horizon joins the sea and everything is one.
I love the Pacific.
Behind us is the Suva Prison. It’s from 1912. I don’t think anything has changed.
Again, I love motoring.
Dean, where’s your bloody life jacket??????
Minerve Reef. My Dean.
Life on board a passage. When it’s flat.
Dean teaching sailing already!
Our lovely friends Cheryl and Ian on their identical boat Silver Light. Neighbours again! They are now in Tonga with the Island Cruising NZ rally (ex ICA).
Colo-I-Suva Forest Park. So lush and stunning. There’s a underside of crime here which keeps it real though.
Just follow the yellow line and you’d find Customs. Sure.
After night shift, slight delirious, relaxed. And that is the dont-have-to-wear-a-lifejacket-seat. Very popular.
I don’t know why I love shots like this.
It’s amazing how you are able to find your own space when you’re a metre away from someone. Steve is on a plane to NZ now, and it definately feels like there’s something missing.
First tropical breakfast. I’ve Googled Fijian recipies and am going to live on mango smoothies and coconut fish. Might even get Dean away from his ham, cheese and tomato sammies. Probably not.
Oh mahimahi, we adore you. Thank you ika moana.
I just love everything here.
It’s election year.

Things outside your comfort zone

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When Dean and I first met, I bought him a card with a huge door on the front, ajar. At the very bottom of the door was a tiny, terrified kitten, poking it’s head out into the world. That’s how I feel right now. Inside the card said, “the best things in life are outside of your comfort zone”. This is how I’m trying to feel right now. I can’t believe I’ve left my furbaby again, my family and friends, university routines, and our lovely marina community.

Of course this is just nerves and I have a full perspective of where we are going and what we intend to do there. I keep looking at images from Suva, or Ovalau and I’m already there. I’m looking forward to us experiencing the Pacific in a different way this time, outside of the perception of the paradise dream and assumptions about traditional lives. I know it’s not going to be easy, but I also know that this can bring great things.

I had a conversation with an Canadian woman yesterday about travelling. She spoke a lot about travelling through places like India and how difficult it is to cope with beggars and poverty. I said that I thought that this was one of the aspects of being privileged and being able to afford to travel, and that if you chuck in the capitalist-human efforts of climate change, we must all continue to challenge our connections to people. Silence. Must get better and delivering things.

It’s been quite a journey so far. We sailed from Mana to Auckland, up the West Coast. We stayed in Auckland for a few days and caught up with family and friends, then headed back up to Opua. The choice to go up the West Coast was inspired. The argument goes that if you go up the West Coast there is nowhere to hide if it all turns belly up. But, with weather prediction software being as good as it is, and this coastal weather being a lot more settled and predictable than the terror East, we figured the changes of things turning belly up and being in extreme weather, were slim. Also, our last trip up the East Coast in 2015 was a total nightmare.  I almost enjoyed the sailing this time (ssshhhh).

Highlights so far:  having our crew member Ian back on Pebbles – you are fabulous Ian, thank you so much for supporting us in your lovely way and for being such an interesting person; seeing Mt Taranaki and Cape Reinga; meeting Noah for the first time (my Dad’s Godson); sitting in the library at Auckland University and thinking “wow, I’m here”; catching four fish on the way up, some of which is still in our freezer (tuna and mahimahi). Lowlights: missing Zena like crazy; sailing boredom with occasional terror; breakages/things going wrong on the boat include main sail, head sail, gennaker, batteries, anchor light, furler, fridge lid, dinghy. WTF? And realising (again) that the sailing community, while amazing, can be very sexist: on the regular VHF cruisers net the other morning some funny (not) man decided to auction up his wife in the buy-sell-swap section. Some men pitched in with funny (not) comments so I pitched in with “sexisim went out in the 80s guys”. Silence. Realising that NOT being out of your comfort zone feels bloody fabulous!

Click on the photos below to read the captions. Next time I’ll work out how to get them in chronological order.

Steve, our crew and marina neighbour, is arriving today. Can’t wait. We hope to leave on Monday. I will post a photo of our last image of New Zealand then, otherwise, Fiji here we come!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Penny, uber fruit caker maker.
Victoria Park. I love being a tourist – there’s so much freedom.
Arriving in Auckland very early in the morning (photo: Ian)
Best fish recipie
Cape Reinga area.
The lovely young man at Harvey Norman in Wairau Park who told us to return our printer that we bought in Wellington for a much better one. This is the photo printer bought for my Living Memory photography project in Fiji – thanks donors!
Very strange to get your head around how this is possible
I didn’t realise Auckland was actually beautifull
Dean pulls up ANOTHER fish
Thanks Colin!
The inner workings of my mind for my Master’s thesis – quite a fullon place to be.
So beautiful. Thanks Jeff and Claire for caring for her so well.
A rare nice photo of the two of us (photo: Ian).
Pebbles in the boat yard.
Cape Reinga, pouring a glass of whiskey for Peter and Ian’s Dad (photo: Ian).
Auckand harbour.
This is my view of the world while seasick and bashing into 25 knot of headwind just before Cape Brett. I have renamed Cape Brett something that I can’t put in this blog.
Mt Taranaki, and the spirits of Pukeonaki and Ruataranaki.
Yes, Zena is coming with us.
Taken by Ian. Some sailing moments are all about the birds.
Comparing sustinable climate change adaptation with sustainable development is quite a challenge when you are sleep-deprived at sea.
It has been said that sailing is mostly extreme boredom, punctuated with moments of terror. Dean just asked which one this photo is of.
Nightshift…very, very spooky
End of last bottom clean. When we got to Westhaven Marina, one of the first things they asked is when I’d last cleaned my bottom.
The West coast. Thank you.
Red thing (my bright idea of washing this towel in salt water to save on fresh water meant it will never dry. Dean told me this but because I hate being told what to, this towel sat on the back of the boat for days – I consider this respecting eachothers space. Blue thing – our BBQ. White striped thingy hanging off the rails – our new MOM (man overboard module). Replaces horseshoe rings and Dan Buoy. The amount of times I practice our woman-overboard procedures in my mind is a bit of a worry.
That’s Dean in the sled. He volunteered to be rescued in the Sea Rescue Sled demonstration at the Island Cruising New Zealand display in Opua. These lifesaving sled’s are made by our clever and lovely friend Lloyd Valentine. http://www.searescuesled.com
Auckland harbour. Boaties midnight is 9pm so we’re often up to see the day arrive.
Number 384230239878 of the clever things Dean has done to get our boat read. This is the anchor remote thingy.
It tasted yummy, but it’s very sad that we caught this mahimahi off the coast of 90-mile beach. Because of warmer waters (partly from human-induced human climate change) the kinds of creatures coming to our waters is changing. We met a diver in Pahia yesterday who recently saw a turtle in the Bay of Islands. Yes, very cute, but that turtle will soon die as the sea temperature get colder for winter.
First time on Rangitoto Island! Hardly any Maori history/stories to be seen in any tourist information. Really DOC?
One of my favourite places – Mansion House Bay on Kawau Island. My Gran and Granpa used to take my sister and I here whenever we stayed with them at Snells Beach. I had no idea about the damage that colonisation did to Maori (and is still doing) when I was a little girl, visting this place. That’s okay. I’m making up for lost time now!

My ‘to do’ list keeps growing

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This is what our boat looks like at the moment. Preparing for an offshore trip feels like moving countries because it’s just as scary and groundless, and incredibly exciting, but you aren’t really leaving home. I still can’t get my head around that. Only part of me considers the boat ‘home’ in this sense. Zena our doggie, family and friends, familiar landscapes (Ngati Toa Domain, Pauatahanui Inlet, Whitireia Park, the marina laundry!) aren’t with us so how can it be home? But we’ll meet people and I’ll name every animal I see Zena of course. Last time we woke up to a family of noisy ducks by Kawau Island – Zena. On our trip to Tonga last time, a bird flew on our safety lines for a half-day rest – Zena! Little sharks that stick to the bottom of the boat at anchor – Zena! And of course the experiences we will make will add a whole new layer to life, especially the extreme and unexpected ones.

We’ll head off from Mana on Tuesday probably and sail up the West Coast. There’s no way I’m going around Cape Palliser and the Wairarapa Coast again – NEVER! Last time we went from 5 knots to an un-forecasted 35 and blew our headsail. Then we’ll sail around the top of the North Island – Cape Reinga, wow – and down to Auckland. The chances of getting a head wind are pretty likely at some point in the journey. I hate head winds. The boat bashes, and I imagine every joining device moving a teeny part of a millimetre with every bash. We have a few things to do in Auckland and then it’s back up the East Coast to Opua to wait for the right time to leave, from end of May.

When I came back in 2015 from our Pacific trip, I said I didn’t want to go back just for our own self-indulgent pleasure. Climate change is ripping communities from their roots and I can’t pretend I’m not connected to that anymore. The Pacific is bearing the brunt of human-induced climate change without having caused the majority of it. So, this time I’m going back to create a project called Living Memory. I have a whole lot of cameras donated and I’ll be working with a community. Anyone in the village can take their own living memory photos of the things they treasure, before another cyclone or other extreme event comes along. We’ll have informal photography exhibitions hopefully, and I’ll be able to leave photos within the community thanks to funds donated by family and friends to buy a printer and photo paper etc. If you’d like to donate, I’d love to buy more ink so we don’t run out! Donate here.

Back to my ‘to do’ list. We’ve got Cat 1 – phew – now it’s chowing into the small things.  Last time I cooked every meal from scratch and popped them in the freezer. This time I’m going to buy takeaway. It feels like cheating, but I’ve run out of time. Dinner will be nasi goreng from our fish ‘n chip shop, chicken korma from our local Indian restaurant, and a gluttony from the pizza shop. I have made a few meals too – pasta and meatballs, and warehou fish curry. Lunches will be wraps (corn crackers for me) and we’ll stick to the same snacks as we did last time: cubes of cheese and carrot, hard boiled eggs, cooked sausages, and a plastic container of bliss balls, peanuts, chocolates and Dean’s favourite bickies. And hopefully also Penny’s famous and very desired chocolate fruit cake (hint, hint!)

Will post a photo of our last sight of New Zealand again to say e noho ra when we leave. Must remember to breathe!

 

 

OMG Fiji, here we come….

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We’re going, we’re going, we’re going. Can’t believe I’m going to actually do that hideous sailing trip again. Did I not learn anything the first time, about seasickness, terror, feeling stupid, out-body experiences because the reality was too much? I’ll just think of sunrises, flying fish (can’t be miserable when you see a little fish fleeing across the surface of the ocean) and opening a bottle of champagne on arrival. It can’t be as scary the second time. Can it?

When I came back from our 2015 South Pacific trip I said to Dean that I can’t return to the Pacific again unless it has some meaning other than sipping wine on the back of our boat. Well, this year I’ll be doing my Master’s in Development Studies, hanging out at the University of South Pacific in Suva and outer islands. I’ll be looking at the linkages between climate change adaptation and development.

We’ll leave some time in May, and return in November. Avoiding the cyclone season doesn’t have the same surety as it used to, thanks to human-induced climate change…but that’s for another time. For now, it’s time to head back to uni to expand and deepen the world once again, and to our excel spreadsheet with an endless list of boat things to do.

PS…Just to keep it real, I thought I’d share this photo of Dean unblocking our toilet!

Scooters, roosters and dragons – sailing Indonesia

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OMG we are sailing along the North coast of Flores, East to West. We’ve joined our friends, Kim & Peter, on their boat ‘Take Two’ – our great Pacific sailing mates.

Three amazing things about sailing Indonesia, this time:

1. We flew to get here.

2. We’re mainly motoring!

3. Everything…roosters, Komodo dragons (soon to be experienced), scooters beeping, Muslim prayers mixing with our Van Morrison ‘Moon Dance’ under a full moon, remote villages with beautiful smiles, exquisite islands and snorkelling (yes, I’ve even let go of the dinghy).

Plus the usual challenges…unsustainable tourism, plastic plastic plastic, heat that feels like you’ve “eaten the sun” says Kim, crap sleeps…but that’s nothing compared to what Indonesia offers as a sailing destination.

More on anchorages and highlights later, including postcard-perfect little islands. There’s no one here. The Sail Indonesia rally has left and We’ve seen one boat in six days (apart from millions of local boats and their fishing nets – note to self, do NOT sail in Indonesia at night time.)

Now, time to negotiate a labyrinth of coral reefs.

xox