Launching Searov

Well the day has come around for launching Searov back into the water.
High tide is at 6.30am so everything has to be ready before that, so she can be pushed in at the top of the tide.

At 5.00am we were down at the boat, it was still dark, but all the ropes had to be attached to Searov then onto the trailer to hold her in place while she got pushed in.

I went round with Terry holding a torch so he could see what he was doing, by 6.15 everything was ready.

This time we got another person to push her in, & this man was here well on time, so once he was in position, the push began.

This operator was so much more careful, & soon Seavor was floating, ropes came off the trailer, & she was away.
A few minutes later the trailer was pulled back out of the water, to get washed down with fresh water & put away for the next time.

Now for the cleaning up, she was parked under a tree on shore, so there are a lot of leaves in the boat, it will probably take us the rest of the morning to clean her up.

Searov Has a Paint Job

Well we have been out of the water for nearly a month now, with luck Searov will be back in the water by the end of next week.

She has had her hull painted, & outdrives all checked & is ready to be launched, but there aren't any high tides until Wednesday, at 6.00am, which is a bit early for a digger to arrive, so it has to be Thursday.

It will be great to be able to get out to sea again, to see what fish are out there, & to put a line out.

Fijian Bambo Raft -Bilibili

There hasn't been a lot of business lately, so we pulled Searov out to get maintenance work done on her.
As there isn't a place to haul her out in Savusavu, the process is so different to places that have haul out facilities.

First, we have to push our trailer out into the deep water, than drive Searov slowly onto the the trailer, once on & in line, we secure Searov onto the trailer, then get a digger to pull her up the beach to a suitable place.

Searov was secured onto the trailer at high tide, but the digger was nowhere to be seen, the tide turned & started to go out, causing Searov to start banging onto the trailer.
Something had to be done quickly, as this could cause damage to the boat, & the digger still nowhere to be seen.

Fortunately, someone with a twin cab with 4x4 passed & pulled the trailer a little up the beach to preventing any damage to Searov .
A hour later, the digger turns up for a 10min job, but charges the rate for a days work, this is Savusavu so you just have to pay, & hope you don't have to do this again for a year at least.

Now the work begins for Terry, just hope the weather stays fine, as he wants to paint the hull, then start work on the outdrives.

Here is a picture of a wedding we went to, it's the groom & party arriving by bilibili (raft made out of bamboo).

Kids Sailing Club in Savusavu

27th June.
What a week it has been, winds have been too strong to go out & of course we had 3 charters booked.

We finally managed to take one of the guests out, but the seas were still very rough outside the entrance.

After trolling around the usual spots, we manage to catch 3 Mahimahi & 1 yellow fin tuna, but the conditions weren't that good, so headed home as Derek had a plane to catch that afternoon. He had canceled his morning flight, in case we were able to take him out, so we didn't want him to miss his flight, as he was leaving the country later that afternoon.

At the Copra Shed Marina, there was a welcome for the yachts that were in Port from New Zealand on a cruising regatta, some of the yachties, joined the Kids Sailing Club in a little fun sail.

Pacific Dawn back in Savusavu

25th June
The winds haven't let up all week & this morning Pacific Dawn is expected with close to 2,000 passengers.

Again we are fortunate that the rain kept away, & the tourist didn't mind the wind as it kept the place nice & cool as they wandered around the town.

The local bands kept the passengers entertained with all the local songs, while they sat under the umbrellas at the Copra Shed Marina, enjoying a taste of the local brew, from the Yacht Club.

There is always a lot of singing & merry making as the last group make their way, to board the last tender.

Sunday Cruise To Savusavu by Pacific Sun

After a night of strong winds & rain, it was such a relief to see dawn had brought us a fine day.

As soon as it was light, the local stall holders started putting up their stalls, in readiness, for the visit of Pacific Sun.

As the passengers disembarked, the local band sang Fijian songs & the girls gave out flowers while greeting passengers.

It was a better day for the visitors today as it was a lot cooler, all that rain over the last 2 days, cooled the whole place down, making it more pleasant for walking around the town.

Yachts in Savusavu

Last week was one of the best weeks we have had for a while, sunshine, calm seas, & a nice cool breeze, lovely to sleep at nights.

At this time of the year, Yachts begin to arrive in Savusavu, some to spend a few days here on their way to another country, filling up with provisions etc, others on their way cruising around Fiji, & this is the spot where they spend a week or more, before cruising elsewhere. Some boats have arrived here & decided to stay put, some staying a month or more.

The Minister Of Defence & his party were in Savusavu for a meeting on Thursday, we had the pleasure of taking them out on a short harbour cruise. He loves to fish, but this time meetings were more important.