Fiji to Vanuatu by Boat

Sydney, Australia Island cruises in Tahiti, Fiji, Seychelles, Caribbean and worldwide at reduced prices. Well-known as the capital of soft corals, Fiji is a vibrant diving destination. He' sent a boat to Maqai this morning, so far we have no news. A small ship that travels the South Pacific, Fiji, Melanesia, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and Polynesia.

Vanuatu from Fiji

Eventually we were prepared to abandon Musket Cove on August 17, but to our frustration there was now a low head system that moved through the area, which had disturbed the normal south-easterly trades wind and substituted it with south-westerly one. Since Tanna is situated south-west of Fiji, we had to await the forecast.

In the middle of the month we took the early bird to Port Denarau. From Fiji we had to go to Lautoka to checkout and run an errand. We' ve also tried to find a place where we can get some Vanuatu at. Nik and Jenn had said that in Tanna, our Vanuatu travel centre, you can't use a debit cards or ATM cards to get money, and that you need some patu for transport, touring, and check-in.

It turned out to be more difficult than we thought and we only found about 20,000 volts (about $100) after we went to all the bank in Nadi and Lautoka. We' ve taken some Fiji money because we hear that you can change it for Tanna. From Fiji we left Lautoka, went to buy some food and ate at Chili Tree, a small café.

There was one less than co-operative taxi chauffeur who would stop several places to speak to the locals and eventually drive us to Port Denarau to shorten our trip and take the last boat back to Malolo Lailai around 1700. After arriving on the boat around 1659, we thought we would make it, like most things in Fiji on the "island time" run.

" It was a shock when they said the boat had just sailed. And we were also a little sceptical, which "only" means, because we couldn't even see the boat in the canal. Later we heard from our cabbie, that the boat had departed 40 mins before. Because we were pretty damp and slimy because we walked around in the rain and exhausted and disappointed because we walked around all morning and then missed the boat, we chose to take care of ourselves.

Sheraton is the nearest to Port Denarau, so we took a taxi there and sunbathed on a luxurious overnight that featured a warm swim, a stay at the resort, room and film. Next day we took the boat back to Malolo Laiai to find our tender with the ground.

On Saturday, August 23rd, it seemed that we had a good meteorological picture for the 470 miles long crossing from Musket Cove, Fiji to Tanna, Vanuatu. So we ran garbage on land, showered, shut down our Musket Cove bankroll, did a last-minute store at the small bakery and then went back to the boat to put it away for good.

When the boat had been stowed away for the crossing, which included adjusting the skid resistance on all surface and placing the mooring, we were prepared to dock. While we were abandoning Musket Cove, we saw a small cargo ship that had been rebuilt into a cruise ship. So we sailed southwards to the reef's front door and headed for Tanna Isle, Vanuatu, where Fiji was located.

Up until a few years ago, the only places a yacht could register and leave were Port-Vila on Efate or Luganville on Espiritu Santo. The two harbours are located further northerly than Tanna, with Port-Vila being the nearest check-in harbour for Fijiers. Those who went to Tanna were raving about it, but only a few of them came to see it.

Tanna as our harbour of arrival, we chose to register there and then work our way northwards through the articel. That should give us favourable wind when we are exploring Vanuatu. ETA to Tanna should be around 1900 the next morning, one hours after dusk.

On Wednesday, August 27, 1500, we reached Tanna to make a four days and four hours crossing. It was a beautiful afternoons with a hot, sunshiny sky. Vapour from Tanna's Mt. Yasur was almost immediately visible, as were several coastal outlets as we approached the Isle.

In the cove we were greeted by a few minkeheads, who went directly to the boat, took a few passports at the bows like dolphins, then dipped under the boat and sailed. We' d been told that 27 vessels had dropped anchor in the little cove, so we were glad to see that there were only seven when we made it.

When we cleaned up the boat, a man was paddling by in a dug-out boom-cano. It was tranquil and tranquil, with the luxuriant mountain isle as a view. We' re very lucky to be in Vanuatu.