Bad Neighbors in a Storm

Even in the most perfect cyclone hole, you have to worry about your neighbors.

With a cyclone bearing down on Soggy Paws in Savusavu, Fiji, we thought we were worried about this boat:

A Derelict Boat on a Mooring Near Soggy Paws

But we had no idea that a big ferry would come in and try to take refuge in the tiny creek that was already chock-a-block with moored boats:




They just ran this big honking boat up on a mud bank, tied a few lines off, and left it. There ought to be a law about that! Unfortunately, Soggy Paws' mooring is fairly close. Our friend Jerry on s/v Challenger, who is right next to us, took these pictures.

Jerry and the other cruisers staying aboard in Savusavu, you might imagine, are furious that this boat would do this, endangering all the boats already there. If this boat gets loose, it will take out ALL the cruising boats.

Fortunately, the storm track is forecast to pass 100 miles to the north of us, and the wind direction should be blowing this beast onto the mud bank at the height of the storm. The forecast for Savusavu is only about 45 knots, starting from the SE and backing around to the N overnight and into tomorrow, and then tailing off.

Meanwhile, we are stuck in LA. Air Pacific had told us yesterday that they would email or call if the flight was going to be cancelled. So, not receiving an email, we were hopeful when we landed in LA. But they have cancelled the flight. They offered all the passengers a voucher for a room at the Airport Hilton for $60/night. I tried to get Dave interested in doing that (hot showers, luxury room, Tv, etc). But we had already been offered a spot on a friend-of-a-friend's sailboat in Redondo Beach, and if we passed it up tonight, we wouldn't be able to stay tomorrow night. Not knowing how long we might be stuck here, it seemed best to get hooked up with the free spot, rather than getting stuck in a $60 a night room. At least we're not on a 2 week vacation!

But it's blowing like stink here tonight in the marina, and it's cold. It's a snug little boat, and quite nice (a Pacific Seacraft 31), but no heat. Our friend, Bill from s/v Solstice stayed long enough to give us the key and show us the ropes aboard, and then took off to catch his flight to Sydney, Australia.

No-Surprise Cyclone Evan

For almost a week now--ever since our friend Curly in Savusavu sent us an email warning about a possible Cyclone developing near Fiji--we have been watching what is now Tropical Cyclone Evan develop.

Tropical Cyclone Evan Over Samoa, Heading for Fiji
Forecast Map Courtesy the US Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center
In the map above, the black line is where Evan has already been, and the magenta line is the forecast track.

Originally, Evan was heading NE, away from us, and toward American Samoa (see Pago Pago on the map). But the GRIB files (the only thing forecasting the development a week ago) showed it turning around over Samoa and heading right back toward Fiji. Originally, the forecast had Evan passing well to the east and south of Savusavu, where Soggy Paws is. So we were watching Evan develop, but were not too worried. However, yesterday's forecast picture showed TC Evan going right over where Soggy Paws is, at nearly 100 knots!

Current IR Satellite Picture of Evan Over the Samoan Islands
Courtesy the NOAA Satellite Information Service
Fortunately, this morning's forecast has moved the track further north still, and it looks like it will pass far enough away that it will be an "exciting event" rather than a total disaster for Fiji (and Soggy Paws).

Now that we're not totally scared about what might happen, all we have to do is figure out how to get back to Soggy Paws most efficiently. Our existing reservations take us from Atlanta to LA on Saturday afternoon, and then overnight from LA to Fiji, arriving just about the same time as Evan!! (We cross the dateline going back, so after much head-scratching, we have figured out that we will be landing in Fiji Dec 17 at 0600 local Fiji time, which is the same as Dec 16th at 1800 UTC).

So the question is... do we hang in Atlanta til the coast is clear?? We are with family (who we haven't spent enough time with anyway), we have a nice place to stay, and we have a car. But it means changing our discount airfare at a huge expense. (The LA leg is not with the same carrier as the Fiji leg, so it would cost double to change our whole reservation). Do we go ahead and get to LA, and then HOPE that the Fiji flight is going to go--getting stuck in LA could be as expensive as changing tickets!

Air Pacific said they would notify us about 24 hours in advance whether they planned to go on schedule or not. If THEY cancel, then we don't have to pay a ticket-change fee for their flight. Also, a good cruising friend (Bill on Solstice) emailed us and offered a place to stay in LA near the airport.

Ha ha, this is why I LOVE cruising. I don't even know Bill's last name. But, we have been cruising together, talking on nets, sharing information, sometimes sharing anchorages, etc. for the last 2-3 years. We now consider him a good friend, and he obviously feels the same way. And the place to stay he is offering doesn't even belong to him, but is a boat owned by someone else (where HE is staying in LA right now). So Bill has gone to bat for us with his friend.

Anyway, I think our current plan is to go ahead and go to LA, unless Evan takes an unexpected turn toward Fiji. It looks like there is now a reasonable chance that our Air Pacific flight WILL go on Saturday night as scheduled, and we'll beat the storm into Nadi airport in Fiji.

Then our second challenge is actually getting to Soggy Paws. The international airport is on Viti Levu (the lower left island in the picture above). Soggy Paws is in Savusavu on Vanua Levu (the elongated island where the big red arrow is pointing). It's a $150 airplane flight or a $70 overnight ferry ride to get from Nadi to Savusavu. We have reservations on the ferry going the same night we arrive. But now it looks like the water will be too stormy to risk going in even the newest ferry that Fiji has to offer. So we'll have to figure out where to stay in Viti Levu for a night or two until the sea calms down enough to make the ferry ride comfortable and safe.

Here is where yet another 'I love cruising' comes in. We have another friend, who is staying on yet another friend's boat in Vuda Point Marina on the west side of Viti Levu. She has offered us a place to stay for a couple of nights if we need it.

And we haven't even bothered (yet) checking up on the possible available resources like the SSCA Cruising Stations for LA and Fiji.

And finally, we are not too too worried about Soggy Paws in Savusavu (especially not now that we don't expect to get a direct hit), because another cruising friend, Jerry on Challenger, is on the mooring next to us. We have been talking daily with Jerry via Skype, and Jerry is watching out for us. We prepped Soggy Paws pretty well before we left, but there are still a few things that need doing before we get high winds. Jerry has been making sure the 2nd mooring line is properly hooked up, hatches dogged, solar panels secured, the last bit of canvas down, etc. (He is paying back what we "paid forward" looking after his boat in Fulaga a few months ago).

We are in Atlanta, mostly packed, and leaving tomorrow. I CAN'T WAIT to get back to the boat!

Wouldn't This Ruin Your Day?

This really happened!

Boat Stuck on Tortoise Island Bridge

Tortoise Island Bridge is in a residential area, and sees little use except during the weekend. The bridge tender shack is poorly positioned, and the bridge tenders poorly paid and poorly trained. I think they also double as security guards on Tortoise Island.

We have at least once had to nose up to the bridge fenders and put someone ashore to wake up the bridge tender.

This incident happened a couple of weeks ago, and what I heard was that 3 boats went through the bridge. The first guy called for the opening and said "3 boats requesting to go through". Apparently the bridge tender closed the bridge on the last boat. The mast of the boat poked through the bridge ironwork, and when the tender opened the bridge again, it lifted him in the air. I heard through the grapevine that the boat didn't suffer much but a broken headstay. No one was hurt.

But what a picture!!

Where's Windigo?

We were recently contacted by the owners of the vessel s/v Windigo.

Windigo, Abandoned at Sea
Last seen at 24-49.3S / 179-49.2E
I don't have full details, but Windigo was abandonded at sea a few weeks ago in a bad storm on the way from Tonga to New Zealand. The crew were injured in the knockdown, and were ultimately rescued by a passing freighter. But it seems that Windigo is still floating. Here is the email we have received:

Recently Steve & I (Tania) were on passage between Tonga and New Zealand and we were hit by a severe storm and rolled, we sustained a fair amount of damage to our home of the last 3yrs. She has no steering (possibly), no bilge, no battery (possibly..as we left the motor running) no lights, and a broken starboard hatch. SHE CAN SAIL all rigging and sails in excellent condition.

We are uninsured (unfortunately) and would love to see her again!!!

Windigo was last spotted on 17 November 2012

Position
24 degrees, 49.3min South
179 degrees, 49.2min East

SSR 141391 ON STERN

Windigo has a British flag and she has her dingy and motor still on board
Her Dodger is gone but the frame is half there.

Her HATCH needs to be closed, if anyone gets close enough to her.

Our bilge pump broke down during storm, so we are worried about more flooding.

If anyone spots her, please email us on sywindigo@hotmail.com

Steve & Tania are now in Auckland, heading to Opua Northland, to THANK the most amazing people Bruce & Marcelle on sailing yacht ADVENTURE BOUND who came to our side risking their own lives, we will be forever grateful. And of course Orion NZ Rescue Airforce,The NZ Navy and CAPT Norman Mc Nee, who all played a vital part in our continued future.

Thank you
Tania & Steve
s/v Windigo
sywindigo@hotmail.com

Windigo, Abandoned at Sea
Tania & Steve from s/v Windigo

You can read a little more on the incident on this BBC online account

In googling for some background on the incident, it seems that the "looking for our boat" has already been widely reported in the sailing news circles (Noonsite, Cruiser's Forum, etc).

Hanging out in Melbourne FL

We are really enjoying having a place to call home, and doing sorta normal things with our friends in Melbourne... TGIF at MYC, regattas and sailboat racing, playing golf, etc.

Sherry Aboard Sleighride in the MYC Fall Regatta
Photo Courtesy Ross Herbert
Having Fun Just Being "Rail Meat"
Photo Courtesy Ross Herbert
Chasing Santarella Downwind
Photo Courtesy Ross Herbert
Dave has been helping our friend Marlene Sassaman get her boat, Spray, ready to go long-distance cruising. Spray is a 35-foot Brown Searunner Trimaran. Marlene took a shakedown cruise to Bermuda this summer, and hopes to be gone "somewhere south" in a few months. She keeps telling everyone that soon she'll be following Soggy Paws around the world...single-handed.

We've also been attending to various business and "doing doctors".

This weekend, Dave is going over to the Orlando area to hang out with some of his Naval Academy buddies... they'll reminisce, hang out, and play golf.

I am going stay in Melbourne and hang out at MYC. There's TGIF on Friday, a Volunteer Workday and a Blood Drive on Saturday, and small sailboat racing on Sunday. Sounds like a perfect weekend.

We'll both enjoy a little bit of "separation time".

Finally "Home" in Melbourne

The last leg of our trip home was through familiar grounds, visiting family.

We first stopped at my brother John's house in Hawthorne, FL. We were there the day that Hurricane Sandy hit NY/NJ. We sat and watched the whole coverage on TV with John. It was odd being on the other end of the stick--usually it's us sitting there with Jim Cantori of The Weather Channel in our backyards. So glad it wasn't us, this time! I totally empathize with all those people in NY/NJ.

GRIB File Show Sandy About to Hit the NY/NJ Coast
We did also manage to get out on John's 4-Wheelers and zoom around on his property. We also got a tour of his Lake Area Nursery greenhouses.

Heading Out on the Quads
The Lake Area Nursery Mandevilla Greenhouses
One of John's Patented Pink Velvet Mandevillas
John's Truck
Our last stop on our 4,800 mile trip was at Dave's Cousin Bryan's house in Largo, FL. Bryan is like a brother to Dave and is always happy to see us. He has been handling our mail, so we needed stop in and pick up the 50 lbs of mail accumulated in the last 10 months. We played some golf with Bryan and enjoyed a couple of days hanging out in the Heliker Hilton (though, it was too darned cold to enjoy the pool).

Then we headed across the state to our hometown of Melbourne, just in time for TGIF at Melbourne Yacht Club.

I got to go racing on s/v Sleighride in the Women's Race on Saturday. There wasn't much wind, but we had fun getting out on the water with "The Girls".

We're Ahead!! (but not for long)
Getting the Weight Forward
On Sunday, Dave got to play in MYC's Pars and Bars Golf Tournament.

Dave's Foursome at MYC's Pars and Bars
(with Ex-Husband Lenny)
The weather here in Melbourne is beautiful... highs in the mid 70's and sunny. We are loving being back in our tiny condo on Melbourne Harbor, at least for a little while.

Headed for Florida

We finally made it down into Florida and a little bit warmer weather.

The first stop after leaving Cincinnati was a quick overnight in Birmingham, Alabama to visit with Bill Long and family (cousins of Dave's on his Dad's side).

The Long Family in Birmingham
Then we moved on to Pensacola, FL for a visit to the Naval Aviation Museum

National Museum of Naval Avaition
We stayed in visitor quarters at the Pensacola Naval Air Station and we heard the Blue Angels practicing in the morning. The museum was great and we could have spent a LOT more time browsing the exhibits. We did find the replica of Dave's Dad's plane, the Minsi III, and paintings and more plaques honoring Dave's Dad (the Navy's highest scoring Ace ever).

The Medal of Honor Wall
Painting Depicting Dave McCampbell and Wingman Defending the Carrier Against 60 Japanese Zeros

We also looked for and found the Golden Eagles exhibit. My Dad, Gordon Gray, was inducted into the Golden Eagles a few years ago for his work testing the wildly successful F-8U Crusader jet in the mid-1950's. Sadly, the Golden Eagles exhibit didn't even have a roster listing the inductees. But, the guy in the yellow shirt in the placque on the right is Dave's dad!
The Golden Eagles Plaques
On our way out of Pensacola, we made a quick stop at the Wentworth Florida State Museum to see the exhibit on the 1559 Spanish shipwrecks recently discovered in Pensacola Bay. The Tristan de Luna fleet was a Spanish fleet sent to Pensacola to establish a colony BEFORE St. Augustine. But the ships were wrecked in a hurricane and the colony soon died out.

Dave Checks Out the Tristan de Luna Exhibit
Great Artists Sketch of the Shipwreck
Then we headed east along the Florida panhandle to Panama City, FL to attend the Mark V Monument unveiling.

Dedication of the Mark V Monument
at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center
The Mark V Monument is a privately-funded 12-ft statue commemorating the contribution of Deep Sea Divers from all walks of the military. It is erected right in front of the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, which was Dave's last command before he retired from the Navy.

The Mark V Monument
Dave had a great time seeing the NDSTC and hooking up with some of his old buddies from the Navy.

We also got a chance to go see the Man in the Sea Museum out on Panama City Beach.

A Short Respite in Cincinnati

We spent 4 days in Cincinnati, visiting my daughter Nicki. While Nicki and her SO Tsukasa worked, we relaxed and regrouped. We totally took over Nicki's new dining room for our own use (thanks for putting up with us, Nicki!!)

Nicki and Tsukasa
The first item on our agenda was boxing up all the 'boat stuff' we'd bought in the previous 2 weeks, and shipping it to Atlantic Towers in NJ. These boxes would get included for free in the arch box that Atlantic Towers is shipping to California (to then get put on a ship for Fiji).

It took us all day to find appropriate boxes, get the stuff packed up, taped up, labeled, and off to the Post Office.

The next day we spent most of the morning ordering a few more things off Amazon.com to be shipped directly to Atlantic Towers. Then we took off for an afternoon at the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton Ohio. We weren't THAT interested in Air Force history, but we wanted to see the National Aviation Hall of Fame, which is included in the AF museum. We found Dave's dad's plaque in the Hall of Fame, and we also enjoyed browsing the rest of the museum. It's very well done.

Cool Old Airplanes
Dave's Dad in the Hall of Fame
Saturday, we spent most of the day watching College Football on Nicki's awesome TV. Dave enjoyed having a lap full of kitties.

Dave With a Lap Full of Kitties

And on Sunday, we finally got outside to do some sightseeing in Cincinnati--we went to the awesome Jungle Jim's grocery store--a must for any visit to Cincinnati.

The "Foodies" Entrance at Jungle Jim's
This store is a cross between a Costco/Sams, a fun arcade, and an international specialty foods store. I could not believe the acres of specialty foods--and all at great prices. It had everything from an olive bar to a fresh food area. The olive bar was like 8 feet long!! Just olives!! And there was a cigar bar, a cheese bar, etc, etc. Just the beer section was bigger than most liquor stores.

There Was an Acre of this Kind of Stuff

Monday morning, we reluctantly said goodbye and headed further south.

Whistlestop Tour through the North Country

Lobsters in Maine
We had 10 days to kill from the end of the Annapolis Boat Show to the weekend we'd set aside to visit my daughter in Cincinnati. So, what to do, what to do? Do we take a vacation from our vacation--relax, recharge, hang out, sleep in? Are you kidding?? We sat down and said, "How many friends can we visit in 10 days?"

Fall Colors in Connecticut
The first name to pop up was our friends Bill and Johanna on Visions of Johanna, whom we cruised with in the Galapagos, Easter Island, Pitcairn Island, and French Polynesia. They were on a fast track across the Pacific, and sailed away from us in June 2010, and we haven't caught up yet. Their boat is now in NZ, but they are at home recharging the cruising kitty in Maine. We last saw them for a few hours last year in Ft. Lauderdale on daytrip from Melbourne.

Bill and Jo at Home
So once we confirmed they were going to be home and we were going to visit them, we thought about where we wanted to stop between Annapolis, Maine, and Cincinnati. There were lots of people--cruisers, CSY Owners, old friends, and distant family in that large swath of the U.S. But we only had time to visit a couple of people.

Dave and Dave Take a Ride on the Connecticut River

We first stopped in Connecticut, at Dave and Beverly McKeehan's place. My Dave and Dave McKeehan were new ensigns together in the Navy in about 1971 on a ship called the McKean (DD-784). They've maintained the friendship ever since. We visited them last year at their new house in the Keys, and they talked with enthusiasm about their old house on the Connecticut River.

The Essex Yacht Club Waterfront
We only stayed a day, but had some time to see the Deep River area, have lunch at the Essex Yacht Club, take a dinghy ride on the river, and meet some of Dave and Beverly's local yachting friends at a small get-together in a stunning house high overlooking the river. We really liked that area and would love to go back again. Though, gas prices were about $4.10/gallon there in CT, and they were 'only' $3.55 when we left Atlanta.

Rockport Maine
From Connecticut, we made the long drive up to the Camden area of Maine. We had a beautiful day for driving, in a beautiful area. Unfortunately, most of it was on the interstate. But we had 2 full days in Maine to see the sights.

Fall Hiking in Maine
We went hiking in Camden Hills State Park one day for a great overlook from Mount Battie over Camden and all of Penobscot Bay.

Camden Harbor from Mt. Battie
(this photo stolen from here)A Tall Ship Leaving Camden for Penobscot Bay
Camden Harbor
A Church on Camden Harbor
Our last day there, Bill and Dave spent a few hours looking over charts of the western Pacific, and talking about future cruising plans. We are hoping to be able to cruise and dive together again, but we're not sure where and when that will be.

From Maine, the next stop was Gloucester, Mass, where we stopped for a short overnight with a friend who owns a CSY like ours (s/v Justicia). It turned out that Justicia is in the Chesapeake, and Michael is in the process of moving aboard, and his own house in Gloucester was rented. He was staying with friends, and so did we!! Thanks so much for having us as overnight guests, Barry and Helene from s/v Avalon!


The next day we left early for another short overnight in Syracuse, where we stayed with Jim and Megan Sollecito. Jim is a fishing buddy of Dave's from the Keys. The Sollecitos close up their landscaping business in the wintertime, and escape the cold NY winters by hanging out and fishing in the Keys. Jim gave us a whirlwind tour of his large plant nursery, and his beautiful wildlife sanctuaries in the area.

Early the next morning, we headed off to visit daughter Nicki in Cincinnati.