Halfway to The Marianas and ultimately Japan!

26 Sep Halfway to The Marianas and ultimately Japan!

000.29S, 160.55E

This was written by our new crewmember Bo, another friend from Hawaii and is on his maiden crossing on MV Starr between Fiji and Japan with a refueling layover planned for Saipan in the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI).

On 13 Sep fellow Hawaiian and Starr veteran Mark and I hopped a one-hour ferry from Denarau Island marina and joined Starr on 13 Sept at Muscat Cove on Mololo Island.   Our crew compliment of five was filled out when Don and Lisa, our new cook from Vancouver, joined us as well, arriving by ferry at the Muscat Cove Resort greeted by staff singing and offering Bula as a greeting.

                                                       Mark standing at the top of the Musket Cove mooring dock with his pink coffee mug

The annual Fiji Race Week at Muscat Cove YC draws well over 100 cruising yachts competing for dockside, resort controlled mooring balls or mooring field anchorage space.  This is an annual end of season gathering and celebration for cruisers before they clear out of Fijian waters before cyclone season, with the majority heading for New Zealand or Australia, some via Vanuatu.

During the event, there are numerous socializing events including meals, libations and wild parties wrapped around three days of monohull and multihull day races and four days of Hobie cat races, capped off by a grand awards dinner ceremony.  It is fun to see all the liveaboard kids reuniting with and saying goodbye until next season to their friends met while cruising. The only currency allowed all week for food and beverage purchases is Muscat Money (MM), purchased in ticket coupons books for FJ$70 (approx. US$33).

Starr was Med-tied, and we enjoyed watching the constant dinghy wars as crews fought for space along the dinghy dock.

                                                                                         M/V Starr Med Moored at Musket Cove Marina

Mark and I arrived one day late to sail in the Hobie races, where 29 teams were ultimately eliminated over 4 afternoons in head-to-head competition using beach starts and two lap triangle courses to determine the sole survivor and winner.  However, we were able to jump on a Catalina 42 Saucy Seas for two of the three offshore races.  Saucy Seas is owned by a Kiwi couple who live at Muscat Cove full time. Three years ago, they purchased and operate the PADI Dive business that has an exclusive relationship with 12 Fijian resorts.

                                                                                     S/V Saucy Seas racing around the island with our crew!

We raced Around Mololo Island (4 hours) and next day the Sandbank (2 hours) race.  These are low key races with approximately 30 monohulls and multihulls starting together, scored separately, and racing just on elapsed time basis (no handicapping!).  Winds change quickly with topography from strong offshore trades to drifting conditions near in-shore lees.  Avoiding reefs and navigating channels too narrow at early stages for the congested fleet!

                                                                                             Round Malolo Island Race

The highlights were the Superhero themed costume party and fireworks and the awards ceremony dinner party. The costume party standouts were the Fiji Gold Six Packs and the Minions.

                                           Fiji Gold Beer Six Pack costumes a Superhero theme party

                                                                                              Minions costumes at Superhero party

The awards ceremony featured an hour of free drinks before needing Musket Money (and naturally long lines), a buffet line anchored by two roasted pigs and a live band.

                                                                                                 Our crew enjoying Race week awards dinner.
                                                                                                    Left to right: Mark, Patrick, Don, Bo & Lisa

                                                                                                            Don & Lisa rocking away the night

                                                                           The Race week awards dinner and party serving roasted whole pig!

During downtime we were consumed with the normal boat preparations required for long passages, engine room maintenance (I was assigned to change the four fuel filters), staples provisioning at TrueMart in Nadi, polishing stainless, scrubbing the topsides, etc.

The afternoon after Race Week, we left Muscat Cove and anchored temporarily in the mooring field.  This allowed Mark and I to scrub the hull bottom, a 2-1/2 hour task!  In the afternoon, we motored over to the Denarau anchorage off Fiji’s largest island Vita Levu.  The crew enjoyed a beautiful sunset over dinner in the cockpit.

                                                                                                                 Dinner anchored off Denarau

Early the next morning we relocated an end tie slip on the superyacht pier at Denarau Island marina for final fresh provisioning, topping off water tank top and preparing to clear customs and immigration the next morning for our departure for Saipan.

We checked out numerous gorgeous yachts with the most impressive being SV Path.  We walked by a long rib that made an unbelievable 38-hour passage from New Zealand (carrying fuel bladders naturally). We also bumped into world champion North Shore local surfer John John Florence who was cruising with his family on his beautiful blue carbon fiber Gunboat catamaran.

                                                                               Large S/V Path

                                        Gunboat owned by world champ surfer – John Florence

After final preparations and clearing customs and immigration, we departed Denarau at 1200 19 September.  As we rounded the outer reef off Mololo Island we ducked below SV Mosaic a sailboat from Australia that was reaching towards Vanuatu.  We did not know that would be the last vessel we would see for 5 ½ days.

Saipan lays approximately 2700nm from Fiji in a northwesterly direction.  As forecast, our initial strong trade winds and 6-8 foot seas off our starboard aft quarter have mollified to minimal wind and sea conditions contributing to a very pleasant and comfortable passage.  We have been paralleling the Solomon Islands archipelago and Papua New Guinea to our leeward.  These waters hosted numerous WWII naval engagements that ultimately stopped the Japanese Pacific advance and turned the tide of the war, most notably Guadalcanal. We enjoy listening to audio books about these battles as we make our way up the archipelago and over the seabed littered with sunken warships.  We crossed the Vitzay Trench, which I was not familiar with, with significant depth 20,172, approaching the Marianas Trench in depth.  We will parallel the Marianas Trench while transiting CNMI.

                                                                                                      Sunset abeam of the Solomon Islands

We most recently passed Nauru which lies 30 nm south of the equator.  Nauru, known for its now depleted phosphate mining (a byproduct of seabird droppings), is the third smallest nation in the world with a population of only 11,000.  Only Vatican City and Monaco are smaller physically.  Its remote location means minimal tourism, only 200 visitors annually.

Passage life aboard Starr is enjoyable and relaxing.  Our cook Lisa has been preparing appetizing dinners.  Don gave her one night off and prepared his famous Chicken Piccata and pasta using two jars of caper for good effect.  Lisa is working on a 1,000 piece puzzle on the salon dining table.  The men are standing 3-hour watches with 9 hours off so everyone is well rested. We did not start fishing until two days ago and only have one lost lures to show for our efforts.   We are switching to all steel leaders going forward.  As expected, the closer we get to the equator water (81 degrees)/air temperature and humidity are rising.  Cloud coverage is intermittent but creating some spectacular sunrises and sunsets.  Early last evening we spotted our first whale on the port side while concurrently enjoying a partial rainbow on our starboard side.

Two nights ago we finally approached other vessels as anticipated.  AIS has been showing a concentration of fishing vessels and nets a day or so south of the equator.  We are passing through the gauntlet without any incidents thankfully.  We are keeping our fingers crossed our luck continues.

                                                  Predict wind showing all the AIS signals near us, lots of fishing fleets!

As of this morning 26 Sep, we crossed the halfway mark to Saipan and have approximately 1340nm remaining on this leg of our voyage.  We are currently 28nm south of the equator and are anxiously awaiting King Neptune welcoming Bo and Lisa as they both cross the equator for their first time. Aloha.

Related posts:

1082nm from Los Cabos, 09d 55.00 N, 122d 54.00 W – Friday, 23nd March, 2001 Mainland Coast of Mexico: Puerto Vallerta to Barra de Navidad – December 17, 2000-January 18, 2001 Seattle to Mexico – November, 2000 Seattle, Washington – September, 2000