French Polynesia to Fiji
We have checked out of French Polynesia and continue our trip west towards Fiji.
Sailing Maupiti | Hikes and Friends!
We have checked out of French Polynesia after exactly one year! It has been a truly incredible place, and our favourite sailing destination on this trip so far. Maupiti, a tiny islands west of Bora Bora, is our last experience of civilisation befire we set off on a 1000nm sail west which lands us in a tiny island called Niue. We enjoyed a few days of hiking, surfing, and spending time with our friends on Isla.
Sailing Maupiha’a
The most western island in French Polynesia is a tiny Tuamotus style atoll with just three people living there It’s a convenient place to spend some time waiting for a weather window for the 7 day sail west, across the ‘dangerous middle’.
We had bought some provisions for the family living on the small Motu so shortly after our arrival we headed ashore to pass on the gifts. The family welcomed us in with open arms. Over the course of two weeks we shared many meals, crab hunts, and good conversation with the three inhabitants.
As we were about to leave we did one final
Rig check to discover a crack in a fairly crucial part of our rig! Along with some friends we fabricated a repair, however we also managed to source are part in Tahiti which could be sailed to the island by another friend so we made the tough decision to remain safely anchored in the island while the rest of our buddy boats confined west. We did however enjoy a lovely few days of solitude waiting for our part.
Nanuka is now repaired and ready to go for our journey west, a 900nm sail west to a sunken atoll!
Sailing Aitutaki | Pitstop
The middle part of the Pacific is called ‘The Dangerous Middle’ and the last few weeks we have really come to understand why. Our friends got hammered by a system heading west and now it is our turn! We had always planned to skirt by the Cook Islands as a possible port of refugee as there was a system predicted on Monday. The system seems to have intensified with every forecast update. With 90 knot winds predicted there was no real option to keep sailing, so we made a u-turn and sailed 6 hours back to the Cook Islands where we would spend 7 days waiting for some cleaner weather to continue our journey west.
Once we arrived outside the tiny pass into the ‘harbour’ (marina under construction!) we radioed port control and requested permission to enter. We could almost smell the fresh food, coffee shops and little snack shacks that were ready to greet us! Unfortunately permission was not granted. There was a cargo ship positioned 500m offshore loading the cargo onto barges which ferried the goods through the channel into the harbour. Until this operation was done, we would have to heave too and wait. By the time they’d finished the sun was set which made the already challenging pass somewhat more challenging!
After navigating the pass we were greeted by some cruisers to help us med moor to the mud banks which went surprisingly well to say how little control Nanuka has going astern!
A lovely week was had sheltering from the weather, exploring and really making the most of the coffee shops!
Sailing The Dangerous Middle
We left the Cook Islands after 7 enjoyable days. There was a little wind of opportunity to continue west, if we did not take it then we would have been stuck for another 7 days, something we wanted to avoid for multiple reasons!
We knew there was another system brewing on the horizon, not as nasty looking as the previous system and a few days out, so time for a lot to change.
The first 24 hours were spent beating into 20 knots, something Nanuka enjoys more than us! After 30 hours we checked the updated forecast at it appeared the system was going to track further north than originally forecast. We made the decision to run south and head straight to a sunken atoll in the Pacific called Beveridge. Our friends had previously been there so we knew the pass was manageable at night and the holding was good.
After another 24 hours the forecast changed once more with the system passing straight over the top of us. At this point we were convinced we were a magnet for them! If the forecast was correct, when the system intensified we would only have to survive 4-5 hours of it before arriving at Beveridge.
As much as we were praying the forecast to be wrong, sure enough, as soon as the sun set the winds intensified, seas grew and the rain poured. It was hard to judge the true wind speed as our gauge tops out at 30 knots …. But it was easily gusting over mid 40s accompanied by some extremely lively seas.
Fives hours later we furled the small about of head sail we had out and rounded the north end of the reef. This gave a greatly appreciated rest from the heavy seas, but the wind and rain were still brutal. We were debating whether it was safe to attempt to enter the pass of the reef in these conditions, but the thought of continuing on taking full force of the storm for another 10 hours didn’t fill us with joy. We were both soaked through to the skin despite our expensive waterproofs and for the first time in a long time, cold!
Beveridge Reef
After staying awake all night it was a good feeling to see the glow of the sun on the horizon. The rain had eased but the wind was still blowing hard. As we came to see our surroundings it was clear we had plenty of depth and were safely dug in. The sea was uncomfortable with the wind chop, but we were safe and we could rest.
After a very satisfying sleep and lazy day spent eating and relaxing the wind started to ease, the clouds part and the persistent wind chop die down. This was the first time we could appreciate how special this place was. One of the most remote anchorages in the world with nothing but a small slither of reef keeping the ocean swells at bay.
After doing a few repairs we grabbed the paddle board and spent the day snorkelling. The visibility was some of the best we’ve seen and the sea life was incredible. Sharks, rays, loads of fish and turtles. Interestingly all acting quite different to other places we’ve been where they know what a human is! The sharks were very inquisitive and the rays extremely defensive!
We will have another good nights sleep before setting sail to Niue, 150NM away. Hopefully less eventful than our last passage
Sailing Tonga | We found waves!
A big part of the surf for me is to discover and surf empty waves. This week Tonga produced the goods!
We had heard rumours of waves in the Tongan islands and had spent many hours on satakite images scouting out potential spots. It is rarely easy to anchor near good surf and since being in Tonga this has been even more true. The winds have been relentless, blowing 20-30 knots most days. For most of the waves around here they are quite exposed and require calm conditions. After a couple weeks of sheltering in beautiful bays there was a calm in the forecast. We took our moment and put our bets on this one spot we had spoken to a local about. 24 hours later we were anchored off a remote Tongan island with a perfect left hander not far away. The next few days were spent surfing as much as possible. It was a powerful wave breaking over shallow reef, whales breaching outback and yje occasional turtle surfacing for air. Perfection. On what would be the last day of surfing (for me) the swell really stepped it up a notch with solid double over head waves rearing up from the depth of the pacific. On one of the bigger sets I took off in a nasty set and got thrown by the lip into the flats with the lip piling down on top of me. As soon as I surfaced, with the wind blown out my my lungs I knew something wasn’t quite right.
My diagnosing… Bruised ribs / muscles or a minor fracture! No surfing for the next few weeks, but it was a session I will remember forever!
Sailing Fiji | Nawi Marina
The last marina Nanuka spent time in was Shelter Bay in Panama, some 6000 miles back… to say we were excited for Nawi Marina in Fiji was an understatement. Hot showers, pool, swim up bar… we were ready for some luxury living! The marina did not disappoint. We spent 13 relaxed nights, handing out with new and old friends, but also getting lots of work done befire my friend arrives in a couple weeks. The markets here are also incredible.. after over a year in french Polynesia with limited fresh food available it felt so nice to be eating fresh fruit and vegetables everyday. The little things can make a big difference!
Sailing Fiji | Kava and a jam session
Every bay, reef, and beach is owned by a village in Fiji. When entering you are required to find the village and present the chief with kava root. This is a traditional ceremony which then welcomes you into the village. During the ceremony you ask for permission to use there land, whether it’s to snorkel, surf or just go for a hike.
Most of the time you present the kava during the ceremony which is often a quick and relatively informal process. The day we arrived in this village they had just lifted a self-assigned year long fishing ban to help the reefs recover (what the west could learn from this!). Due to this, they were having a day long kava ceremony which we were invited to. We sat with the village elders and over the space of a few hours drank Kava with them. It was amazing to be part of their local traditions.
The next morning we get a knock on the boat from four younger guys from the same village we shared the ceremony with, including the village headman. They gifted us coconuts and we invited them on board for some coffee.
They then asked if we would like to share kava together, so, in the same ceremonial way, we sat aboard the bow of Nanuka having our own kava ceremony. A guitar was bought out, a bucket for a drum, and a maraca from Dominica. One of the guys was a very talented guitarist and singer who treated us to 5 hours of a jam session. It felt quite surreal to be in the middle of nowhere, kava ceremony on the bow, sharing music and stories together. It was also extremely refreshing to see the younger generation of Fijians with values of connection and preservation. A day we won’t forget!
Sailing Kadavu | Reunited with friends
A few days ago our friends in Isla and pinnacle arrived into Fiji. They were in the marina a hundred miles east and were itching to get back out at anchor and get the gang back together. A weather window opened up for us to head south so we all decided to make the 140 mile sail south to Kadavu.
We spent the first 15 hours bearing into wind and waves before easing and making the final down wind run into the archipelago. Once in the calm waters, we dropped anchor, presented our kava to the chief and jumped straight in to swim with some ocean giants - manta rays!
The next week was spent surfing, snorkelling and relaxing with friends.