After Nuku’alofa we headed straight for the island group of Vava’u, sailing up the western fringe of the archipelago. We had a champagne sail for the 160 nm trip with cracked sheets, a 12-15kn NE breeze — and had to slow the boat down to enter Vava’u in the daylight. During the passage, there were numerous pods of whales who had started their annual migration north. Vava’u is a stunning cruising destination, deep water between abundant small islands and bays, many of which have sandy beaches and palm trees. Care must be taken at all times to mind fringing reefs and outcrops but the area is well charted and with the addition of OpenCPN and satellite images with GPS position, we are better equipped to venture further. Sheltered anchorages can be found at many of the small islands and bays depending on the wind conditions,and 100m of chain comes in handy (this expanded our choice of places to visit) with many of the anchorages deep, and some with a mix of sand and coral bommies. The whole island group is approximately 20 nm wide so it’s fun to choose a different place to visit each day. The town of Neiafu is easily accessible and serviced by a wonderful, highly protected deepwater harbour with mooring balls. The shore is a short dinghy ride, giving access to the fresh food market and local shops. There are several great places to eat out with fresh-caught fish on the menu. They say cruisers should ‘plan to have no plan’ so we will wait for the best weather to sail the 400 nm or so to Fiji and enjoy a new culture and continue the adventure. After waiting a week or so for a good weather window to arrive, we decided to clear Customs from Neiafu, Tonga and continue our cruise to Savusavu, Fiji. The Customs dock in Neiafu is very industrial and can be challenging to dock at without assistance. We decided to take our chances with one of us going ashore to clear and the other in control of the boat in the harbour within view of Customs. Fortunately, they were busy as there are always a number of yachts wishing to clear out at the same time, so we successfully cleared out, and able to begin our passage within 24 hours. We left on passage with 12 or more other boats wanting to take advantage of the same weather window. The wind was 20kn, aft of abeam and a 1-2m sea state. As the wind moved further aft during the passage, we experimented with the most comfortable ride, our main aim to stay with the fleet making the passage together and to arrive in Savusavu within working hours to clear Customs. We found that the boat sat very nicely with one reef in the mainsail, no headsail, and made very comfortable good speed. We arrived in Nawi Island Marina, Savusavu in the morning and were pleasantly surprised to find a state-of-the-art marina, lush island vegetation and the town of Savusavu easily accessible for provisions. After a few days’ rest in Savusavu, we decided to head to Viani Bay, about 50 nm east along the coast of Vanua Levu, which is home of the Rainbow Reef. We had considered doing our PADI Open Water Diving certification here and were not disappointed. The dive school was first- rate, coral and marine life stunning, and the hospitality and surroundings amazing. We were immersed in beautiful tropical waters for the week, then made our way back to Savusavu before heading on to explore the western side of Viti Levu. The passage from Vanua Levu took us across the Koro Sea to the island of Makogai and through the Vatu-i-ra Passage to the northeast corner of Viti Levu. We continued across the northern side of this main island inside the reef where sailing was not possible much of the time due to the large wind shadow created by the height of the landmass of the main island. Once on the western side of Viti Levu, there are cruising grounds a’plenty amongst the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands. Worth noting here that considerable navigation and passage-planning skills are needed in Fiji to ensure safety of yourselves and your vessel. Charts are often incorrect, and there are many unmarked reefs. Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook Mainsheet 2024 69 South Pacific cruising
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