For those people who enjoy being active and riding bikes, may we recommend a bike tour of Toronto? One of the best way to see Toronto is on two wheels! The bike pace is slower than a car which lets … Continue reading →
Capitan Casanova
Rodrigo y GabrielaNordhavn Exumas Abacos Bahamas trawler Caribbean Pickwick Boat dogs
Memphis Downtown
Nov. 17 – The Work Begins
Indiantown Marina
“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” ― Tom Bodett
There is a knot in my stomach as the lifting straps groan with the strain of The Pearl’s 20,000 pounds of bulk as she is hoisted into the air and moved. This time she isn’t being hoisted out of the water, but moved from the storage yard to the work yard. Our eyes are fixed on the boat as she is lifted high in the air and moved down the road, she looks like a toy boat and the travel lift operator is a little boy getting ready to play with his toys. Although we have had our boats hauled out many times, it’s still nerve wracking each time we have it done. The boat swings just a little from side to side as the lift moves down the road and I pray that nothing will happen…just in case the there’s a mishap; I keep the video camera running.
Indaintown Marina is very busy this time of year. The travel lift is busy all day moving boats from the storage yard to the work yard and other boats from the work yard to the water. Everyone is preparing their boats for a winter of cruising in the Keys and Bahamas or places further south. We’ll spend the next week and a half painting the bottom, waxing the hull and doing a few miscellaneous projects that are easier to do when we’re out of the water. As I said the yard is very busy, so you have to be on the schedule to get moved. We’re scheduled to be splashed on Friday November 27…if the weather stays descent we should have plenty of time to get our work done.
On her way to the work yard
Getting set up in her new home
Lots of water, soap and scrubbing and The Pearl was looking more like her old self.
Leaves and seeds from the trees blew on faster than we could wash them off. Between that and the ash from the sugar cane fields they are burning are gong to make it a challenge to keep the boat clean.
Our view for the next 10 days
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SUMMER SUMMARY
April showers bring May flowers.Magnolia tree – northern version. Not as impressive as the Southern beauty shown here – but, we will take what we can get.and, of course, in May – the ladies showing off their hats at the annual Derby party.End of …
Days 13-15
Days 13: (Continued…)
Dee Dee loves Sherrie…Sherrie loves Dee Dee
There are times when two beings form an instant bond. Sometimes it’s between two people. Sometimes it’s between two animals. And sometimes it’s between a person and a dog.Sherrie says she loves animals, all animals. And it’s easy to believe if you watc…
Wade sez
another great Fishwrapper from Cap’n Wade: (Continued…)
Angels
Nordhavn Exumas Abacos Bahamas trawler Caribbean Pickwick Boat dogs
Memphis Downtown
And the world will live as one
Nordhavn Exumas Abacos Bahamas trawler Caribbean Pickwick Boat dogs
Memphis Downtown
Cruising the Mamanucas
FIJI: CRUISING THE MAMANUCAS AND YASAWAS
(or… a vacation diary for my granddaughters)
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| Maddie and Zoe having the best of times |
Palmela Lodge – November 10, 2015
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| Musket Cove: going to the sandspit |
PART I – THE MAMANUCAS
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| Dinner with 3 gorgeous teenager… a happy grandpa! |
When our daughter announced that she was shipping her girls off for a two-week vacation on DOMINO, we were overjoyed. Maddie (16) and Zoe (13) were joined by their friend “Q” (12) and I couldn’t wait to have a great time with this lively bunch. That’s what grandparents are for: taking the kids cruising! So, we docked at Port Denarau for a night, raced through our chores, and JP was at Nadi airport at 0530 to pick-up our precious cargo.
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| At the dock, what did we find but a fish that had landed on our swim platrform! |
As soon as they set foot on board, the girls relaxed. It was their second trip with us and already they were old hands at setting up their bunks, navigating the galley, and tossing the lines… not without ogling the superb male specimen exercising their bulging muscles on the mega-yacht DRAGONFLY that dwarfing us at the dock. A hearty breakfast and by 10 AM we were underway—destination: Musket Cove
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| Maddie, eager to get the dink in the water |
1 – MALOLO Island
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| Breakfast, DOMINO style |
Denarau to Musket Cove, South Malolo route
Just 16 miles west of Port Denarau is Malolo Island, the main cruising hub for the Mamanucas and their many luxury resorts.
Malolo to Denarau, North Malolo route
MUSKET COVE MARINA – See previous blog for waypoints
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| Anything is fun1 |
Dubbed a “Disneyland for cruisers,” Musket Cove Resort and Marina beckoned the girls to play. Fun volleyball on the beach, kayaking, paddleboarding, pool, beach BBQ and bar, it was all open to us as soon as we joined the “Musket Cove Yacht Club” with a lifetime membership for a nominal fee.
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| Breakfast of champions…. ready to go surfing? |
But Maddie was in for some serious surfing. For a girl on the surfing team at Marina High School in Huntington Beach (AKA “Surf City”) it was a must to give CloudBreaka try. This legendary wave breaks outside the reef and we arranged for a local to pick her up. At 0530 she was having a nice breakfast, soon joined by her cheering section, and at 0600 the local long boat picked her up. We just stood on our aft platform, watching the boat’s phosphorescent wake disappear into the night. By 10 AM I was frantic: our girl wasn’t back, but the tour operator assured me they were probably having a good time. Indeed… it was almost noon when Maddie reappeared, beaming, telling us all about the “best barrel of her life.”
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| I wonder who is more nervous: Maddie, or me, watching her leave in the dark with a big Fijian guy! |
Off to the sandspit. The big attraction at Malolo is the sandspit, a tongue of white sand that uncovers at low tide. Since we were experiencing one of the lowest tides of the year, we had a blast, collecting sandollars, moon shells and taking a good look at several giant helmets that had strayed in the shallows. Looked but didn’t collect since Helmets are a protected specie. 
Although JP and I thought the water was cold (23c) the girls didn’t mind; nothing bothered them, neither the relative cold (in the 70’s), neither the wind gusting at 20-25kt, neither the laden skies and rain. They snorkeled their hearts out around the sandspit in search sea anemones and clown fish.
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| Hard to see? Octopus morphing |
Our next snorkeling spot was off the green mark on the reef. Maddie led us into a discovery swim: octopus, moray eel, sea cucumbers, parrotfish and fish of enough color to dazzle the most jaded snorkeler.
2 – CASTAWAY Island – 17*43.04S, 177*08.85E
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| Track and anchorages at Castaway: with good visibility, this track is safe. |
– Remember the movie Castaway? It was filmed in the Mamanucas, not far from Malolo.
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| Looks familiar? |
Castaway Anchorages (daytime only) 17*43.542 S, 177*08.509E or 17*43.731S, 177*08.419E – Coral bottom, not good holding. Alternative anchorage in front of the Castaway Resort.
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| Liz & Jon on their honeymoon…. |
Although we didn’t stop at Castaway with the girls—the weather was too rough–we did make a stop a few months later with my niece Liz and her husband Jon. They were on their honeymoon, on a layover between Auckland and L.A. and stuck in their hotel at Vuda Point, with nothing to do. So we picked them up at Saweni Beach and whisked them away to Musket Cove, then to Castaway Island for a nice snorkel. What did Liz see, but 2 large wahoos resting at the bottom, taunting us! It would be days before we saw wahoo again.
3 – There are other cruising spots in the Mamanucas:
– Mana is a favorite among cruisers, although we didn’t try it, eager to continue north, away from the tourist spots and luxury resorts.
– Honeymoon reef – a dinghy trip for the day
– Cloud 9 – A floating bar that serves–I’m told– excellent pizza… not being bar flies, we skipped Cloud 9 and moved north.
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| What is sweeter than a grandaughter? |
Having the girls on board is pure joy, from breakfast to dinner time!
Off to the Yasawas…
Till then,
dominomarie
