PREPARING MARCY FOR THE PASSAGE TO NZ

We’re preparing Marcy for the passage to New Zealand.

First on the list, we stopped at Vuda Point Marina for a quick haul and bottom paint job.

We tried to keep up with cleaning the bottom, but it was a losing battle.



We figured new paint would make the passage go faster.

The marina digs holes in the ground for yachts to spend the cyclone season out of the water. It also makes for easy painting – you don’t have to reach as high with the roller.



We were pleased to find a little building with showers just a few paces away from Marcy



While we had plenty of fresh water, we pressure washed the deck and repainted the marks on the anchor chain.



The painters, Baobab Marine, were easy to work with and did a great job.



While the paint dried, we explored the area. Sugar cane is brought to the refinery by a narrow gauge railway that runs right by the marina. This car derailed one morning.





As pleasant as the haulout was (we’ve never had a swimming pool, café with free internet, and two restaurants available at previous haulouts) we still breathed a sigh of relief as Marcy was relaunched.



Back on the water, we headed for the nearest quiet bay to prepare the boat for what might be a rough passage. We checked the rig, added a line for the third reef in the main, and hanked the storm staysail to the stay. To avoid worn spots we swapped the self steering lines and jib sheets “end for end”, and repaired small chafe holes in the mainsail. As we worked, the VHF radio constantly crackled with yacht conversations. This part of Fiji is a jumping off location for yachts of many nationalities that are heading to NZ or AUS to avoid the cyclone season. Many are nervous about this notorious passage, and the talk is all about the weather, which boat has left and was forced to turn back, what the best time to leave might be, and on and on. The tension is palpable.



We had filled fuel at Savusavu so that was one job already done.




Ginger is busy working on the shopping list. Tomorrow morning we go into town to visit customs and the grocery store. Then we will be free to head out to sea.



As we watched the sunset, we realized that Marcy wouldn’t be anchored in a tropical bay again for over six months. We made a mental note to dig out the foulweather gear (stored deep in a locker since the California coast) and went to bed early.