Fiji

John and Karen Lattanzi are sailing friends from Hawaii. They have crossed the pacific in the 90’s and have years of sailing experience behind them. This is their post about our experience we had at the Sawa-I-La caves in the Yasawa’s.   Sawa-I-Lau Caves Nabukeru island By Karen Lattanzi My nerves were running pretty high as I entered the water of the first cave. I had expected it to be frigid, as typically ground water is, but this brackish pool...

02 June, 2025 /

Cruising through Fiji aboard Starr has been one of the most beautiful and challenging experiences of our journey so far. The islands are stunning, but navigating them safely requires a different level of attention and preparation. One of the first pieces of advice we received from experienced local sailors was to only travel between 10:00 and 15:00. During those hours, the sun is high overhead, making it possible to see coral heads clearly through the water....

31 May, 2025 /

We were lucky to be in Yalobi Village on Waya Island just in time for the semi-finals of the island’s annual rugby championship. It was one of the most fun and energetic days we’ve had here. The matches were held at the local boarding school, which brings together students from all seven villages on the island. While the school serves the whole island, only four villages were taking part in the rugby semi-finals. Still, it felt...

19 May, 2025 /

This morning, at 10:30 AM, we anchored at Waya, located at 17°19’ south and 177°07’ east. We are told that we are the 3rd boat for this year. The village of Waya has 54 homes and about 300 people. We were introduced to the village nurse, who cares for 1,300 locals from seven separate villages all dispersed around the island. We flew the drone for the first time and here's what it looks like from the air:       The villages...

15 May, 2025 /

We haven’t posted anything because there wasn’t much to say other than the 12-day passage was a breeze. We covered 2900 miles with one stop for two days at the French Island of Wallis, which was a quiet and isolated island. One evening we took the dinghy to a tiny uninhabited island where we had a beach fire, cooked chicken over the hot coals, and looked at the stars. The whole passage was so smooth that...

08 May, 2025 /

Patrick Connor When I reached high school age, I made the decision to move to Alaska and live with close family friends. My parents weren’t staying in one place long enough for a consistent school experience, and I wanted the chance to attend high school in a more stable environment. I spent the winters in Valdez studying and shoveling snow, then flew out to meet my family wherever their latest project had them—usually in some tropical...

21 April, 2025 /

We're three days out of Honolulu and have covered 400 nautical miles. Since leaving the dock, we haven’t seen another boat—neither on AIS nor radar. People often ask, “What do you do while underway?” The questions range from “Where do you anchor at night?” to “Do you play games to deal with boredom?” The truth is, there’s always something going on. Here’s how we spend our time: We run a watch schedule of three hours on and nine...

15 April, 2025 /

When Sharry learned that she had Alzheimer’s 6 years ago, she told me that when she got to the point where she didn’t know what was happening…I should go find a girlfriend and keep cruising Starr. I am still in love with Sharry, so the girlfriend part will have to wait. In the meantime, we are underway headed to Fiji. We've just pushed off from Waikiki Yacht Club in Honolulu and should be in Fiji in about 14...

13 April, 2025 /