Sailing from Seattle to Australia in one year is a lot of sailing! We’re nearing the 10,000 mile mark and still have almost 3,000 miles to go to reach Sydney. Since arriving in the Marquesas with the Pacific Puddle Jump fleet in April, we have sailed ahead west on a faster pace than most boats, our timeline dictated by Karen’s leave of absence from work expiring at the end of September. Not wanting to rush through Tonga and Fiji, which are some of the best cruising grounds in the South Pacific, we decided to change the “plan”.
The new plan is to keep Apropos in Fiji during the cyclone season (November through April) and fly back to Seattle in mid-September. Fiji is at 17 deg 40 min latitude south, and 177 deg 20 min longitude east, right in the middle of the cyclone belt. But Vuda Point marina, on the SW side of Viti Levu island in Fiji, has cyclone pits—long trenches that are dug in the ground for lowering the keel into with tires stacked up along the sides to keep the boat upright. We researched it and contacted friends from Seattle who kept their boat there, and it sounds like a good option. They have strict rules about removing things from the deck (canvas, sails, solar panels—basically anything that can blow away) so that if a cyclone does pass by, flying projectiles will be kept to a minimum. Having the boat out of the water has its pluses and minuses, but as far as surviving a storm, its the best option. Of course, all bets are off if hit directly by a category 5 cyclone.
Although there is some risk in doing this, we believe it’s the best option and will allow us to spend a few more weeks in Tonga and a whole month cruising in Fiji. Our boat insurance company has also approved the new plan, which has me returning to Fiji in April and sailing the boat back to Seattle via Hawaii. I’ll have 2 crew positions open if anyone is interested (more on that later)!