LTY UPDATE: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 – Savusavu to Namenalala LTY time: 17:00 (UTC +12) = 05:00 UTC
Location: moored just off Namena Island, Fiji
Position: 17 06.739 S, 179 05.541 E (cut & past this into Google Earth to see on map)
Wind: 6-8 knots E True (protected in lee of Namena)
Seas/Swell: very small swell wrapping around west end of Namena
Air temp: 81.8F 27.7 C
Sea temp: 81.1 F 27.3 C
Humidity: 62%
Barometer: 1016mm MAGIC CARPET RIDE CONTINUES: Namenalalalalalalalalal
Wow! What a great ride we had from Savusavu to my all-time favourite location, Namenalala Island inside the Namena national marine reserve. We spent just over a week moored in Savusavu and I’ll get an update put together to summarize all that time a bit later. We spent two days in a little four wheel drive (a Rav4 believe it or not Lia!) and along with Ruby and my dear friend Philip from Blue Bie, we drove around most of the south and east coast roads of Vanua Levu and made our way to Labassa, the largest city on the island. The roads were very rough and potholed in many places but other than one flat tire we made it to Labassa just fine and decided to spend the night there to fully explore this city with its big farmer’s market and lots of shops and then had a gorgeous drive back west and south to Savusavu. Having explored and enjoyed the small town of Savusavu we were feeling the need to move on and were planning to head northeast along the southern coast of Vanua Levu island to explore the area on the east end of this big island and neighbouring Taveuni island where there is some world class snorkelling, diving and many small islands and communities to visit. However the weather wasn’t cooperating wind wise until today (Wed June 29th) and my brother and his wife and their youngest son, who are now living in Melbourne for the next two years have just decided to come to Fiji on July 9th for their two week holiday and we need to be over near where they will be staying in Pacific Harbour about mid-way along the south coast of the big island of Viti Levu just to the west of the capital city of Suva. So we decided to head south to my all-time favourite spot of Namenalala where some of you may recall the incredible experiences I had snorkelling inside the marine national reserve there last year. I’ve been telling Linda all about it for a long time and it was time for her to see it for herself and see if it was all that I remembered and just how much I was exaggerating it all in my mind. The sun was still playing hide and seek this morning but the wind was looking best to be sailing SSW today and so we made the call to go today and went ashore first thing this morning to get our inter Fiji check out papers and take one last advantage of the market, bakery and grocery stores to last us for the next few weeks. That all went well and Linda freed us from the mooring ball just before noon and we were off to Namenalala! Once clear of the lighthouse that marks the end of the reef that juts out from the coast we put up the main and the jib, set the autopilot for about 210 degrees to take us to North Save-a-Tack pass into the Namena reserve and we were soon barrelling along at over 7 knots much of the time with good strong winds just over 20 knots most of the time and at about 60 degrees over our port side. This is very fast sailing speeds for Learnativity and we made record time the whole way and were able to sail at these speeds all the way to within a few hundred meters of the mooring ball which is just off the far northwest corner of Namena Island. The skies fully cleared and the sun came out just as we taking down the sails and motoring onto the mooring ball and within minutes were sitting on the aft deck with some champagne and appetizers to celebrate arriving at this long promised bit of paradise as we enjoyed the setting sun lighting up both the sky and clouds to the west and the thousands of sea birds nesting on the verdant shores of Namenalala which lay less than 100m from where we were sitting. A great way to end a great day! This is a national reserve and Namena is a privately owned island belonging to a very hospitable American man, Mr. Moody, who I met last year and who was very kind and generous in letting me stay for almost two weeks last year. I radioed them just after we moored and again received permission to stay. Tomorrow morning we’ll take the dingy over to the small breakfront they have built in front of his resort that is about midway along the north coast and catch up with him, purchase our permits for snorkelling and diving inside the reserve (all of which goes to the local marine education funds for schools in Fiji) and then go check out the incredible coral, clams and fish that so awmazed me last year and let Linda experience it all for herself and decide first hand if it lives up to the incredible billing I’ve been giving it. Much more and LOTS of photos and videos to follow soon so you can make up your minds as well! We are currently back to just satellite phone connections here but should have good internet connections within a week or less and will update and upload as much as we can then. Admiral Linda, Captain Wayne & Commodore Ruby (aka the Wonderdog)
Aboard the Good Ship Learnativity
Exploring the world one nautical smile at a time.
Location: moored just off Namena Island, Fiji
Position: 17 06.739 S, 179 05.541 E (cut & past this into Google Earth to see on map)
Wind: 6-8 knots E True (protected in lee of Namena)
Seas/Swell: very small swell wrapping around west end of Namena
Air temp: 81.8F 27.7 C
Sea temp: 81.1 F 27.3 C
Humidity: 62%
Barometer: 1016mm MAGIC CARPET RIDE CONTINUES: Namenalalalalalalalalal
Wow! What a great ride we had from Savusavu to my all-time favourite location, Namenalala Island inside the Namena national marine reserve. We spent just over a week moored in Savusavu and I’ll get an update put together to summarize all that time a bit later. We spent two days in a little four wheel drive (a Rav4 believe it or not Lia!) and along with Ruby and my dear friend Philip from Blue Bie, we drove around most of the south and east coast roads of Vanua Levu and made our way to Labassa, the largest city on the island. The roads were very rough and potholed in many places but other than one flat tire we made it to Labassa just fine and decided to spend the night there to fully explore this city with its big farmer’s market and lots of shops and then had a gorgeous drive back west and south to Savusavu. Having explored and enjoyed the small town of Savusavu we were feeling the need to move on and were planning to head northeast along the southern coast of Vanua Levu island to explore the area on the east end of this big island and neighbouring Taveuni island where there is some world class snorkelling, diving and many small islands and communities to visit. However the weather wasn’t cooperating wind wise until today (Wed June 29th) and my brother and his wife and their youngest son, who are now living in Melbourne for the next two years have just decided to come to Fiji on July 9th for their two week holiday and we need to be over near where they will be staying in Pacific Harbour about mid-way along the south coast of the big island of Viti Levu just to the west of the capital city of Suva. So we decided to head south to my all-time favourite spot of Namenalala where some of you may recall the incredible experiences I had snorkelling inside the marine national reserve there last year. I’ve been telling Linda all about it for a long time and it was time for her to see it for herself and see if it was all that I remembered and just how much I was exaggerating it all in my mind. The sun was still playing hide and seek this morning but the wind was looking best to be sailing SSW today and so we made the call to go today and went ashore first thing this morning to get our inter Fiji check out papers and take one last advantage of the market, bakery and grocery stores to last us for the next few weeks. That all went well and Linda freed us from the mooring ball just before noon and we were off to Namenalala! Once clear of the lighthouse that marks the end of the reef that juts out from the coast we put up the main and the jib, set the autopilot for about 210 degrees to take us to North Save-a-Tack pass into the Namena reserve and we were soon barrelling along at over 7 knots much of the time with good strong winds just over 20 knots most of the time and at about 60 degrees over our port side. This is very fast sailing speeds for Learnativity and we made record time the whole way and were able to sail at these speeds all the way to within a few hundred meters of the mooring ball which is just off the far northwest corner of Namena Island. The skies fully cleared and the sun came out just as we taking down the sails and motoring onto the mooring ball and within minutes were sitting on the aft deck with some champagne and appetizers to celebrate arriving at this long promised bit of paradise as we enjoyed the setting sun lighting up both the sky and clouds to the west and the thousands of sea birds nesting on the verdant shores of Namenalala which lay less than 100m from where we were sitting. A great way to end a great day! This is a national reserve and Namena is a privately owned island belonging to a very hospitable American man, Mr. Moody, who I met last year and who was very kind and generous in letting me stay for almost two weeks last year. I radioed them just after we moored and again received permission to stay. Tomorrow morning we’ll take the dingy over to the small breakfront they have built in front of his resort that is about midway along the north coast and catch up with him, purchase our permits for snorkelling and diving inside the reserve (all of which goes to the local marine education funds for schools in Fiji) and then go check out the incredible coral, clams and fish that so awmazed me last year and let Linda experience it all for herself and decide first hand if it lives up to the incredible billing I’ve been giving it. Much more and LOTS of photos and videos to follow soon so you can make up your minds as well! We are currently back to just satellite phone connections here but should have good internet connections within a week or less and will update and upload as much as we can then. Admiral Linda, Captain Wayne & Commodore Ruby (aka the Wonderdog)
Aboard the Good Ship Learnativity
Exploring the world one nautical smile at a time.
