sv evi

At this writing (tho if/when it posts I will have arrived in Savusavu, Fiji) Guava Jelly is thumping along at 6.5 knots with a single reef in the main and the 110% working jib.  Our current location is approximately 160 nautical miles NNW from North Minerva Reef and conditions are 15-20 kts wind out of the SSE with 2-3 meter seas.  Quite comfortable, and as always, Guava is performing flawlessly.  These conditions have eased from the previous day when we were dealt stronger winds and larger seas.

When departing Opua, NZ on May, 12th the conditions were less than perfect with even stronger winds and seas.  With rough conditions and my skills a tad green from the 5 year break from bluewater cruising it was quite a chore to put in the 1st reef when exiting the Bay of Islands.  The following 48 hours I managed to hang on and not much else.  Never turned on music nor the stove…not even for coffee and spent all my time staring out at the vast sea.  There were a few issues typical of passagemaking…chafe (the sails and rigging, not the captain) electronics gremlins and the boom van breaking twice.  I have since rebuilt it with various blocks to get me to the next port. 

On the 4th day Jason on Bodhran, my buddy boat, and I motorsailed side by side for a time in the afternoon snapping photos and vids, cheers with beers and I passed on a Minerva Mix CD for some new music,  I was sunny and calm….welcome conditions from the previous days.  The 1200nm passage to Fiji was interrupted on day 6 with a stopover at South Minerva Reef, a rarely visited atoll in the middle of the Pacific.  Atoll is not exactly correct as this figure 8 shaped reef is completely submerged during most tidal cycles.  Regardless it proved to be a wonderful refuge to break up my longest single-handed passage to date.

Upon anchoring inside the reef and while waiting for Bodhran to arrive, we were invited to SV Migration for dinner and have a share of the large Wahoo they caught un the pass.  Migration is a Cross 46 Trimaran and has been the hangout for the majority of our time in S Minerva.  Aside from having all the room necessary, Bruce and Alene have been very gracious hosts for a variety of activities.  Dinners, games, jam sessions…..typical cruiser stuff….tho where these events have been unfolding is unreal.  Thanks to Migration for all their support.

The free diving here, inside the reef was spectacular.  Not more than about 20 meters in the middle, the edges offer shallower depths, crevices, channels and coral heads in a chain and individually dispersed throughout.  All of the usual suspects of reef fish are here and we saw a few smaller white and black tip sharks.  The water is incredibly clear and tho not yet tropical, a full wetsuit is not necessary.  Many trips per day were made in the dinghies to various sites to explore the depths.  The highlight was driving the dink up the stiff current and ‘flying’ back with the tender in tow for over an hour as the 3kt current carried us along.  Many varieties of coral, fishes, shellfish, a few reef sharks are in constant view.  Unfortunately my new camera does not capture the beauty but I have included some pictures nonetheless.

The seafood has been endless during our stay.  In addition to the large Wahoo, Bodhran caught a 20+lb Ahi Tuna and I landed a Rainbow Runner, akin to a Sierra Mackeral from Mexico (mild, white meat…delicious!).  The Ahi fed many of us quite a few meals, usually as Sashimi but also grilled sandwiches and stir-fry.  There were no shortage of lobsters which is always a treat.  Every lunch and dinner for our 5 days on the reef was local seafood.

There is a inspiring and incredible book I read while here called Minerva Reef by Olaf Ruhen.  A true survival story from a Tongan shipwreck in 1962.  Look it up.  It has made me appreciate what I have, especially in the sailing element with Guava.  I am bitching less about the weather, waves, wind, sun, rain, food, etc, etc, etc.

South Minerva was a new experience tho I was anxious to return to North Minerva, a 20nm sail and relive my visit there from 2007.  A dozen or so boats had just left for northern destinations the day Bodhran, Migration and Guava arrived to find it empty inside.  The wind had piped up from the SE and only strengthened for our 5 day stay so anchoring just inside the pass for easy access to diving was not recommended.  Fortunately Migration was keen to dive and took their trimaran outside the pass to provide dive support for 2 consecutive days.  Their decks were full of divers, snorkelers and loads of gear.  A smaller group on the first day, Bruce manned Migration and dropped us at the reef edge for a descent to 70 feet.  100+ft visibility, 72 degrees at 70 ft, the wall of corals dropped off into the abyss as a mild current moved us along the vertical wall.  Huge yellow fan corals grew in a forest from the wall with there bases equally as interesting with a variety of other colorful corals canvasing the entire surface.  Morays, groupers and all the typical smaller reef fish were in attendance tho missing were the large pelagic characters, rays, skates, turtles, etc. typical of this milieu.  We did see a couple of smaller reef sharks.

After 2 days at anchor, Jason had his maiden voyage with dive gear with the assistance of Mark on Mercava and they ended up under Guava Jelly in 40ft water.  Surprisingly there was a sailboat wreck directly under Guava’s keel.  Apparently a Japanese fiberglass, center cockpit vessel had hit the reef on the outside, eventually washed over and the remains settled here.  That explains the debris present on the snorkel near the reef earlier.  So for the next few days I explored the wreck while free-diving making dozens of descents on the eerie shell.  Many other dinghies came over and tied up to Guava to have a nosy as well.  During this time the fleet in the anchorage swelled to about 20 boats seeking shelter from the big seas and 40kts wind.  Finally our day came and there was a mass exodus to northern destinations.

This trip….the long, arduous passage, challenging conditions, problem solving, solitude…has been welcomed and is exactly what I needed…tho upon arrival in Fiji, 2 more days sailing, I am sure to kiss the ground.