Left Vuda Pt for Musket cove on Friday afternoon...easy sail all the way into the bay.
Saturday up early and off to points north..heading for Waya Island.
There's absolutely no wind and we end up motoring all the way. Rejected Waya as an anchorage as there's quite a strong NW swell rolling in so we carry on up to Cuvu Bay near Manta Ray on Naviti Island.
9.6 hours of motoring and then engine temperature sat on 80 all the way.
Sunday morning start off to head for the Blue Lagoon...oops...engine is running hot 100 degrees ! Stop everything, let it cool down and go and look at the thermostat...can't find anything wrong...put it all back again and its sitting on 80....hmmm
OK, off we go and shortly after rounding Nacialau Pt on the north side of Soso Bay, we're sailing in a stiffening E breeze.
We're roaring up the reef heading for the pass and I think that if we keep really close to reef , we may be able to sneak through the pass on a diagonal, coming out at the SEend of the next reef.
By the time we get there the breeze is really E and its 30 knots, we turn a bit east to negotiate the pass, but we can't lay the SE corner of the next one,so on with the engine and we'll drive into it.
The depth in the pass is only 5-12 m so the sea from outside coming through the pass is mighty !
We're going OK albeit slowly when I notice the engine temperture is on the rise again...up to 100 !..what to do, turn around and head for Somosomo Bay or...then suddenly the temp drops back to 80, so we carry on.
I think I know what's going on here !...more later
We make it out of the pass and get back on a course of 025 M and head for the next pass that takes us in to the Blue Lagoon. We are tearing along over 7 knots most of the time with a half furled genoa and 30 odd knots true just aft of the beam. In no time we reach Kubo pass, turn left and run all the way in.
Anchored in the Blue Lagoon, very peaceful. This is probably the best anchorage in Fiji..in the west anyway.
Saturday up early and off to points north..heading for Waya Island.
There's absolutely no wind and we end up motoring all the way. Rejected Waya as an anchorage as there's quite a strong NW swell rolling in so we carry on up to Cuvu Bay near Manta Ray on Naviti Island.
9.6 hours of motoring and then engine temperature sat on 80 all the way.
Sunday morning start off to head for the Blue Lagoon...oops...engine is running hot 100 degrees ! Stop everything, let it cool down and go and look at the thermostat...can't find anything wrong...put it all back again and its sitting on 80....hmmm
OK, off we go and shortly after rounding Nacialau Pt on the north side of Soso Bay, we're sailing in a stiffening E breeze.
We're roaring up the reef heading for the pass and I think that if we keep really close to reef , we may be able to sneak through the pass on a diagonal, coming out at the SEend of the next reef.
By the time we get there the breeze is really E and its 30 knots, we turn a bit east to negotiate the pass, but we can't lay the SE corner of the next one,so on with the engine and we'll drive into it.
The depth in the pass is only 5-12 m so the sea from outside coming through the pass is mighty !
We're going OK albeit slowly when I notice the engine temperture is on the rise again...up to 100 !..what to do, turn around and head for Somosomo Bay or...then suddenly the temp drops back to 80, so we carry on.
I think I know what's going on here !...more later
We make it out of the pass and get back on a course of 025 M and head for the next pass that takes us in to the Blue Lagoon. We are tearing along over 7 knots most of the time with a half furled genoa and 30 odd knots true just aft of the beam. In no time we reach Kubo pass, turn left and run all the way in.
Anchored in the Blue Lagoon, very peaceful. This is probably the best anchorage in Fiji..in the west anyway.