Friends in Fiji

We left Musket Cove and headed along the coral coast of Viti Levu to Cuvu Harbour where we dropped anchor near a lovely (large) resort called the Shangri-La. A couple of days later our friends from NZ turned up and what followed next was a fun filled 6 days of non stop laughing, eating, drinking, swimming, playing games and just generally enjoying spending time with each other. Some of them had only seen REAO in pictures so it was nice to be able to show them in person our home and we had some fun boat parties on her.

The day after they left we decided to head back towards Musket Cove to catch up with our boatie friends and from there the plan was to start exploring the Yausawaras. We lifted anchor nice and early and headed out through the pass. As there was no wind we were motoring and about half an hour into us leaving the harbour (just as Craig noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment) the engine seized and stopped. I quicky dropped a pin on navionics so we could see which way we were drifting (away from reef = good, towards reef = bad). Luckily for us it was a beautiful still day with no wind and the current was taking us away from the reef.

We waited for the engine to cool down and Craig tried starting it to no avail. He had a quick look at it and decided it wasn’t something he could easily fix. We were able to message our musket friends so at least someone knew we had no engine and got some good advice from them. The plan was to use our tender, tie it up beside REAO and use its engine to power us forward. While we were confident with that strategy in the open water we didn’t want to rely on it when we got close to the pass. As I only had internet and no phone service one of our Musket friends kindly contacted the resort for us and after very patiently explaining a few times to them what was happening, was able to organise one of their boats to come out and assist us. About 15 minutes later we could see it coming towards us and we were able to easily rig up a towing system. They safely towed us back into Cuvu and a few hours after leaving we were on anchor again in the same spot. We then went ashore to find the guys who had helped us out and thanked them with a few beers and some money.

The next week saw Craig pulling the engine apart to figure out what the problem was. Once he identified what was wrong (water getting into the engine exhaust) we needed to find a welder. We managed to find a few in Suva so early one morning we took the tender into the resort jetty and walked out to the Queens highway. We timed it really well and only had to wait for 15 minutes for the pacific express bus to come past and just under 3 hours later we were in Suva. From the bus stop we walked 10 minutes to the nearest welders who said they could do the job and we could have it back by midday the next day. That done we had a quick look on google, found a cheap and cheerful motel that was close by and after dropping our bags there we walked into town for a look around the shops. The next day we did a bit more shopping then had a swim before going to pick up our repaired part. We were able to time it really well and got to the bus stop with 5 minutes to spare.

The next few days saw Craig putting the engine back together. With Cyclone Gabrielle passing under Fiji we felt the effects with non stop rain and a rolling swell (completely different weather from when our friends were here), we were definitely ready to leave Cuvu and head back to Musket Cove. Unfortunately although he managed to get the engine to start a couple of times it wouldn’t stay on and then just refused to start. After trying a few different things to no avail the decision was made to get an expert in. We were very lucky to be able to get a diesel mechanic out from Denarau really fast and he gave us the bad news that we would need a full engine rebuild.

As we were processing that news some friends from Musket came motoring in the pass. While they realised they probably couldn’t help us with the engine they had decided to head to Cuvu Harbour anyways to give us moral support and some company, their arrival timed really well with our news and it definitely lifted our spirits.
They were then (a couple of days later when the winds were good) able to tow REAO out through the pass, we used the wind to sail down the coast while they stayed close by and then they towed us back through the next pass and all the way back into Musket Cove which is where we currently are.

The plan is for us to sit here until we know the parts we need for the engine rebuild are on their way from Australia. Once they are underway we will get a tow into Vuda Marina and lift REAO out onto the hard (for the very first time since we have had her). While the engine gets fixed we will get the hull cleaned and antifouled plus do some other jobs on her. We realise that all this work will eat into our sailing budget and we most likely will have to cut our sailing plans down a little. However until all the work is done and we have final costs there is no point figuring out that side of things.

For now we are enjoying being back in Musket surrounded by positive, fun boatie friends.

BUDGET	Fiji
	Dec	Jan	Feb	Total
Supermarket	502	311	500	1313
Alcohol	88	145	181	414
Internet	136	476	0	612
Food	76	172	244	492
Customs	584	0	0	584
Fuel	160	0	0	160
Marina	152	0	0	152
Entertain	372	0	164	536
Boat	321	0	228	549
Doctors	350	0	0	350
Xmas	556	0	0	556
Laundry	42	0	0	42
TOTAL	3339	1104	1317	5760