Suva, Fiji July 2010
Alvei set sail from Nelson, New Zealand on 30 May.
It took 5 days of gales and a total of 11 days to battle our way out of the Tasman Sea. Once over the top of Three Kings Islands we could start to run our easting down at 33 degrees south with a fresh breeze on the starboard quarter. A week later we started to shape a course to the north and warmer weather.
Followed by another week tacking into light headwinds. Becalmed 250 miles south on the tropics we started the old Iron TopÕsail and motored our way into tropical trade wind territory.
The last week in June, we enjoyed a partial eclipse of the moon. Ninety miles south of Tonga Tapu we picked up a fresh sou-easter arriving in Vavau, Tonga on the 36th day of the passage. Being a Sunday on the 4th of July we anchored near a deserted motu with a white sand beach to wait for clearance the next day.
The crew had a week to explore Vavau. Six of our crew decided to go native and spend more time in Tonga. One went to live with a local family and learn matt making, two went on their honeymoon and our three back packers were last seen in the local youth hostile searching for their female counterparts.
On the 10th of July we sailed for Suva, Fiji with a crew of nine. We were bcalmed half way to the Lau group, then headed by a souwester we were slowed several days, finally the trade winds returned and we had a comfortable passage through the Koro sea to Suva. In Suva on the 21st of July we had a week to provision food and spare parts and to pick up 7 new crew. We are planning to set sail 27 July for the passage to Port Vila, Vanuatu. After a few days in Vila we will sail up to Luganville, Santo to work with Project MARC constructing a clinic on the remote west coast of Santo near Wusi. The last week in August we will sail for Brisbane, Australia. In September we will haul out at Brisbane Ship Lifts. The end of Sept. we will set sail for Nelson, New Zealand.
It took 5 days of gales and a total of 11 days to battle our way out of the Tasman Sea. Once over the top of Three Kings Islands we could start to run our easting down at 33 degrees south with a fresh breeze on the starboard quarter. A week later we started to shape a course to the north and warmer weather.
Followed by another week tacking into light headwinds. Becalmed 250 miles south on the tropics we started the old Iron TopÕsail and motored our way into tropical trade wind territory.
The last week in June, we enjoyed a partial eclipse of the moon. Ninety miles south of Tonga Tapu we picked up a fresh sou-easter arriving in Vavau, Tonga on the 36th day of the passage. Being a Sunday on the 4th of July we anchored near a deserted motu with a white sand beach to wait for clearance the next day.
The crew had a week to explore Vavau. Six of our crew decided to go native and spend more time in Tonga. One went to live with a local family and learn matt making, two went on their honeymoon and our three back packers were last seen in the local youth hostile searching for their female counterparts.
On the 10th of July we sailed for Suva, Fiji with a crew of nine. We were bcalmed half way to the Lau group, then headed by a souwester we were slowed several days, finally the trade winds returned and we had a comfortable passage through the Koro sea to Suva. In Suva on the 21st of July we had a week to provision food and spare parts and to pick up 7 new crew. We are planning to set sail 27 July for the passage to Port Vila, Vanuatu. After a few days in Vila we will sail up to Luganville, Santo to work with Project MARC constructing a clinic on the remote west coast of Santo near Wusi. The last week in August we will sail for Brisbane, Australia. In September we will haul out at Brisbane Ship Lifts. The end of Sept. we will set sail for Nelson, New Zealand.
