October 2023

Date: October 2023

Position: Funafuti, Tuvalu

Captain Bonzo here with an update from Ari B!  For those of you who don’t know me, I am the Captain of Ari B, a multitalented stuffed dog that speaks 5 languages, has sailed half way round the world and barks orders. I also write the newsletters for Alex and Carla.

So, after our last communication the crew started to look for a weather window to head to warmer climes and moved Ari B to Marsden Cove marina, where we could clear out of New Zealand. Weather windows appeared and then disappeared with annoying regularity, but on the upside we had 3 farewell parties. The final one involved Alex, Ross (Christine’s brother), Graham (yacht Karma) and a bottle of rum. It resulted in a broken rib for Alex when he tried to sit down on the bed and missed it completely. He swears Carla moved the bed. When we did eventually leave Christine even got friends of hers to take a picture after we slipped our lines just to make sure we were really going!!

So on the 30th May the weather looked promising and we, alongside a number of other boats slipped lines and headed north, for us towards Minerva reef. 780 miles north east of NZ. The passage was uneventful with decent weather for most of it, but soooo cold at night!! I think we saw 7C one of the nights, and the crew had layers upon layers on their shivering bodies. I wished I had pinched one of Diesel’s outfits (Christine’s woof).

7 days later we dropped anchor in the stunning Minerva reef, which dries to about ¾ of a meter in low tide, but is awash at high tide. Minerva reef are a group of two submerged atolls located in the Pacific Ocean between Fiji, Niue and Tonga. The reefs were named after the whaleship Minerva, wrecked on what became known as South Minerva after setting out from Sydney in 1829. Many other ships would follow, but in all cases most of the crew saved themselves in whaleboats or rafts and reached the Lau Islands in Fiji. It really is a magical place where sailors are the only people who seem to visit, so for most of the year the place is empty – evident by the abundance of lobsters. Carla developed a new technique – at low tide she would walk the reef, spot lobsters under a rock – tickle their behind with a stick so they walk out. Then she immobilises them by putting a foot on them and then picks them up to go in the bag. We ate like kings and needless to say she was in heaven.

Unfortunately, after only a few days, the weather was just perfect to sail towards our next destination – Tonga. The normally easterly winds swung round to the west and provided a downhill ride to Tonga, so we had to take the weather and leave the lobsters behind.

Sailing conditions were great on the first day for our 250 miles trip to Tongatapu in the southern group on Tonga, but on day 2, when the crew wanted to start the engine, not much happened. Alex sprung into action and traced the fault to the starter motor which made an odd noise and then refused to turn at all. We knew the brushes were ok, as they had recently been replaced, so Alex took it apart but couldn’t find the fault. Since we had carried a spare starter for the past 10 years, we weren’t too concerned. Out came the spare starter, but the connections were different and Alex couldn’t figure it out , as there wasn’t a wiring diagram in the box. Luckily we now have Starlink on board and went back to the company we bought the starter from (10 years ago) and after explaining that we were at sea, a technician helped us with the correct installation – on a Saturday night UK time!!!! Very grateful!

The rest of the trip was uneventful thankfully and arrived safely in Tongatapu, checked into the country and then tried to find someone to fix the starter – which we did. It took a week and it was only a temporary fix, but better than nothing. Before we could do much else, the weather swung round to west again (very unusual) and we had to sail north to the Ha’apai group, as Tongatapu is not protected from the west. The unsettled weather continued and the crew was tired of moving around so much. After the extended refit and the sailing up from NZ, all they wanted was a rest, so after a few short days we sailed north to the Vava’u group with better protected anchorages. There are two caves in this area, Swallows Cave – a large cave big enough that you can drive the dinghy in, and Mariners Cave – the entrance is submerged about 1 to 2m down and you have to swim 5m or so under the rock before you surface in the cave. Both were spectacular.

The crew then hooked up with their friends on Perigee and celebrated both their birthdays including Carla’s big 60, although she prefers to think of it as 30 the 2nd time round.

Tonga, at this time of the year is right at the beginning of the whale season. Humpback whales that feed in the Antarctic during the Southern Hemisphere summer, come to Tonga to mate, give birth, and nurse their calves during the Southern hemisphere winter, from July to October. So, of course the crew tried to spot whales and after a couple of hours we spotted commercial whale watching boats in the distance and closed in on them. Luckily it approached lunchtime and the boats were off to feed their guests, leaving us alone with  a pod of 6 or so whales. They took a liking to Ari B and swam around the boat for an hour, sticking their head out of the water to have a look at us and then diving under us within meters off our bow – absolutely breath-taking – have a look at the footage on our website and do excuse some of the exited language.

The Vava’u group is quite small and there were lots of boats, so after the successful whale watching the crew was itching to leave for Fiji some 400 miles to the west. The passage went well without any problems and we arrived safely in Savusavu.

Walking around town with the friendliest people you ever met reminded the crew why they love Fiji so much and after a week of rain (again) we headed east to catch up with some local friends we made some two years ago. We also revisited the manta spot south of Rabi island and were rewarded with a group of 3 mantas that the crew managed to swim with.

Next on the agenda was a trip to Musket Cove, some 140 miles away to take part in an informal dinner organised by the local OCC rep (Ocean Cruising Club – the crew belong to) and the famous annual Musket Cove regatta week (39th year).

Against expectations, (lots of people and lots of boats mainly from NZ), the crew had a great time attending the numerous parties, taking part in the Hobie cat regatta and generally enjoying the buzz. The crew managed to get to finals day, but then drew the worst boat. The jib would get caught on the mast in every manoeuvre and in the light fluky wind that just cost too much speed. That and the other crew being 60kg lighter. Even so the crew only lost by one boat length which was quite an achievement. Revenge next year?.... Maybe?

After a week of partying we spent a couple more days in the Mamanuca Islands including an overnight at the island where the famous Tom Hanks movie Cast away was filmed. Then back to Musket Cove where we were fortunate enough to meet up with friends John and Gill on Mehalah. The last time we met was back in Martinique 7 years ago.

Before long it was time to start the trip back to Savusavu. It’s only 140 miles but to do it in day hops without sailing overnight takes 3 to 4 days. Whilst waiting for the wind to die down a bit before crossing the Bligh channel, we anchored up next to a private island just off the northern tip of Viti Levu. The island was full of well maintained paths and as we couldn’t find anybody to ask permission, or even met anybody on land we respectfully used the trails to explore the island for a few days. We subsequently discovered that the island was owned by a Swiss entity and was for sale for US $ 12 million. Anybody wants to go halves? No helipad though.

Once we arrived in Savusavu, bad weather again kept us there for 10 days. No hardship as Savusavu is full of great places to eat and drink for very little money and the crew took full advantage, also meeting up with friends they hadn’t seen since Panama back in 2019.

 Eventually the weather calmed and we laden with rice, flour, eggs etc.. as a gift for our friends, headed east to Viani bay. Solo and his family prepared a welcome lovo for us (food cooked on hot coals in a pit in the ground) which was delicious and it was fantastic to catch up with the family again after 2 years. The children were especially delightful and within minutes were cuddling up next to us, grabbing our hands and plaiting Carla’s hair.

The following day was Fiji day and we were invited to attend the celebrations. Fiji day is a day of celebration all over Fiji. This year the school organised a fundraising day for the library. All the people in the area were there and depending on when they attended the school, were told which colour t-shirt to wear. There were a blue, green, yellow and red teams, the red team for people who now lived in Viani but didn’t attend the school. The day was filled with various sports from soccer, rugby and volleyball to tug of war and stacked half coconut races. The kava was flowing in each team camp and everyone from each team gave a donation to the school. A great day with lots of fun, laughter, dancing and kava.

Carla managed to get a couple of dives on the raindow reef with Dive Academy (highly recommended) but Viani Bay isn’t just about diving and there is some great hiking on the 1200 acres of land owned by Solo’s father in law Inoke. After completing sevusevu with Inoke we arranged to go for a hike a few days later. We were accompanied by Solo junior and his parents, Nan and Parama. We hiked from their settlement through some pristine bush to a viewpoint looking right down to Naqaiqai Bay and Kioa Island. On the way they gave us lots of information on the various plants they use for medicine and food and we were also lucky enough to see an owl. After a rest and time to enjoy the beautiful view, we hiked to another spectacular viewpoint overlooking Viani Bay. Solo junior collected some delicious green coconuts to quench our thirst whilst we soaked up the view. On the way back we spotted lots of birdlife including a hawk but the famous orange dove that frequents this area remained elusive. Solo junior caught some fresh water prawns in the stream on the way back which we enjoyed for our lunch with the family when we got back to the settlement

The crew had a great time as always and much too soon it was time to return to Savusavu to prepare for our passage towards Tuvalu and the Marshall islands. Back in Savusavu we caught up with friends old and new including Crawford and Elaine on Nauplios who we met in the British Airways sailing club over 10 years ago.

It was sad to leave friends behind, some staying in Fiji, some heading to NZ, but after a couple of weeks we got a forecast to head to Tuvalu. It’s difficult to get a good forecast for this trip as it is initially a 40 mile beat east again towards Viani Bay and as the wind normally comes out of the east you want a calm wind day but then after 40 miles you want wind for the trip. We decided to stop for the night in Naqaiqai Bay, not officially allowed as we had cleared out of the country, but it is a very secluded bay with no road access and we set off again at first light.

We had a fairly good passage, a bit lively at the beginning, some great sailing in the middle and not enough wind at the end, but we arrived safe and sound in Tuvalu.

Time to explore whilst we wait for a weather window to continue to the Marshall Islands.

Ari B out

TONGA

FIJI