Bula Bula!

Roam is once again back in Fiji after a fast, six-day, 1,200nm sprint across the South Pacific Ocean. Almost immediately, the old feelings and memories from last year came back. My blood pressure drops. Smiles and friendly greetings. I remember why I wanted to come back. Bula Vinaka!

The passage was almost exactly as forecast. We expected a rough final day, and we got it. It was the investment we needed to make in order to take advantage of this particular weather window. It worked out.

Our passage time was longer than planned. Partly due to the sea state toward the end. And also because we broke our topping lift on the first day (the rope that holds the end of the boom up when the mainsail is being raised and lowered). Without that line, we can't fly our symmetrical spinnaker without the mainsail up. 

Roam doesn't have a backstay. When the spinnaker is up solo, we count on the topping lift/mainsheet combination to provide some counterforce to the sail's pull.

The solo symmetrical spinnaker is our preferred sail configuration when the wind and seas are behind us. Without that configuration, we sail a little slower with the "chicken rig" (mainsail with the solent winged to weather with a spinnaker guy). 

We tried flying the symmetrical spinnaker with the main up. In big seas, the boat surfs down the waves and surges forward. The apparent wind swings forward. The main interferes with the air flow over the spinnaker, and it collapses. The ensuing shock loading on the rig is unnerving. It needs constant attention. OK on a race boat. Not okay on a short-handed cruising boat. We took it down.

We tried motoring for a few hours, loping the port engine, to see if that might let us sail a lower wind angle with better speed. After a few hours, we hit or caught something in the propeller that caused an incredibly violent shaking. It was at night. Riaan was on watch, and Greg and I were asleep. Immediately, we were all up trying to get the transmission in neutral and the engine shut down.

It wasn't good. We seemed to have reverse but no forward gear. Could be the propeller hub. Could be the forward clutch pack in the sail drive. For the next few days, we were on the phone and WhatsApp with friends and mechanics trying to come up with a diagnosis and start the process of finding the parts and a mechanic who could help us in Fiji.

In what I can only describe as tremendous good fortune, it seemed to resolve itself. As we sailed into Savusavu Bay, we got our first break from the strong wind and waves. After aggressively running the engine in reverse, the forward gear seemed to engage. We had two working engines again! When maneuvering around a marina, two engines are a big help.

We arrived at Nawi Island Marina just after 6 p.m. We'd missed the cutoff for clearance. The marina staff tied us up, but we weren't allowed off the boat. We weren't allowed off even to adjust our lines. We made the best of it by grilling up "steak and chips" and well-deserved cocktails.

The next morning, Alumita from Health Security arrived to inspect us, issue our Certificate of Pratique, and clear our quarantine. With the yellow quarantine flag struck, the rest of the clearance team arrived—Biosecurity, Customs, and Immigration. By mid-day, we were finished clearing in and in our permanent slip. Time for a long, hot shower in Nawi's famous indoor/outdoor showers.

Last year I said the trip from Fiji to New Zealand was the most challenging ocean passage I'd ever done. I'm sticking with that story. These are demanding crossings.

It was a gift for me to have Greg and Riaan aboard. These guys are grizzled ocean racers and gifted sailors. For me, this passage is a big deal. For them, it's a quick jaunt. Every time I'd start thinking about a sail change, they were already harnessed and on deck dealing with it.

We've also got some things to fix. These guys are supremely talented boat builders. They'll help make short work of the repairs. The boat will be ready for Pam and the kids next week.

For now, we'll soak up some sun at the pool, eat some good food, and swap stories with our fellow passage sailors. 

And I will remain profoundly grateful for this magnificent boat that took such good care of us and for the mighty crew that helped make this passage happen. Vinaka!

A Few Photos