Matuku to Frigates Pass, 110 miles
Position is just north of Kadavu Island
This morning Josh, Jacques and myself hiked up one of the hills behind our anchorage, we were accompanied by two locals from the village who bushwacked the path and picked thirst quenching coconuts. The view from the top was breathtaking, on the one side you see shimmi anchored inside the remains of the volcano caldera, on the other side is a coral filled turquoise lagoon, fringed by white water and a deep blue ocean.
But now we are once again in the middle of the big blue. And its rough and nasty once again. We left Matuku on a virtually dead downwind spinnaker run. Fun and exciting to start with, but by 8pm the wind was exceeding 20 knots. By 9pm the spinnaker was virtually being over powered in 25 - 30 knots of wind. Its a fucked up situation. The wind is too strong now to snuff the spinnaker, but of course we try, both engines are full tilt to lower the apparent wind, but the sock wont move more than a meter down the sail. We aim shimmi more into the wind, hoping to snuff it as the wind spills... but the damn thing just back fills, flogging like only an angry spinnaker can flog. I expect it to blow in half any second. Then suddenly the spinnaker folds on itself and I manage to yank the snuffer down. This is done with me lying on my back on the trampoline, head torch on my head, pitch dark in a heaving ocean, screaming orders to Jacques on the wheel and Chantal on the spinnaker sheet. Thank Faaark. Its back in the bag. For a few seconds Chantal, Jacques and I just stare at the spinnaker sock, hanging limply from the top of the mast, showing no sign of the dangerous beast it contains. My hands are raw and I am half soaked. I apologize to Jacques and Chantal for swearing and shouting. Sometimes I just hate this job.
So, now we are motoring, despite the fact that we have 25 knots of wind straight up the bum. There are a few reasons for this: 1. We are crap sailors; 2. We cannot "head up" to make it more of a reach as Astrolabe Reef is too close off our starboard bow; 3. We are only 5o miles from our destination; 4. Its is dark; 5. I am tired; 6. We have lots of diesel.
Elsewhere on shimmi... Liz watched a cartoon on the dvd player, Josh made a scuba tank out of an empty juice bottle, Indie is not feeling well, Chantal got some food into our tummies, Jacques pulled in Mahi-mahi with the hand line whilst shimmi was hurtling forward at 9 knots. It came off 20m from the back of the boat. That Mahi probably feels just like us after our spinnaker experience: Happy to be alive but sore all over.
Tomorrow morning we should be at Beqa Island, near Frigates Pass, which is one of Fiji's well known waves. We are working hard for the money.
Bula,
G
