10/15/2000 - Mixed blessings in Fiji and a great exit. Doing 6.5 knots directly at Tanna in Vanuatu in 20 knots of wind on the port stern. Full main and 1/2 jib. Best sailing day yet. 2 meter swell from the South, Tradewinds! Some boats were waiting three weeks for a weather window, a few came back from previous tries to go west. Eight boats went west yesterday and I left with three boats this morning.
Yesterday, I got good surf at Wilkes Pass, Fiji. Light wind from the north, offshore, two meter swell, the drop ins were several feet overhead. Going right, on my backhand, I was often dropping in and grabbing the rail and going as fast as possible and usually not making it through the wave, at first. The waves were heavy, glassy walls. A Cloudbreak right hander. After a few waves I got trimmed out and got faster and made my last two waves. I paddled for twenty minutes into a building tidal current for the last wave, a set wave. I drop in and gun it down the line looking up at a solid wall for fifty feet in front of me. That's why they had to add a g to narly. Subliminal was sailing out the pass for that one, I hope they got the video. I could barely catch the dinghy anchored in the current, and had to skin dive down 15 feet to free the anchor. I couldn't do it at first. I had to rest a while and try to figure when the tide would slow. Some tourists show up and try to surf Wilkes, but the current takes them in the pass quickly. Should have been here two hours ago! It was going off. I finally pulled myself down the anchor line and freed it. Then I drift snorkeled through the pass looking one last time for the dinghy anchor I lost here last week, but no visibility because of the swell. These are great days.
10/20 - 100 miles from Isle of Pines, New Caledonia. I was considering going directly to Coffs Harbor, Australia after the first two days out of Fiji were 140 miles each. But then the wind died, then came up from the SW, directly on the nose, so we're pointing on the westbound tack. This takes us near Matthew's Island, then north of Durand Reef, and to Isle of Pines. Been sailing double reefed into 15 to 25 knots for two days. Nalu does really well pointing into the two meter seas. We go sixty degrees off the wind and she can keep her headway up the waves. Caught a nice 5kg mahi mahi yesterday. That's fabulous fish, fried with a little veg. oil, lime and soy. The green body of the fish turns silver as it dies, except my handprint stays green like a mood ring. Bad mood. Boatspeed and rough water seem to be key to catching fish. Had a bigger mahimahi on the line that looked like a jet fighter coming up to the boat, incredible blue wings. He pulled off the lure as I tried to gaff him.
10/21 - I'm at Isle of Pines, New Caledonia. Was thinking of going straight to Australia, but the wind conspired to blow me into this beautiful place for a few days rest before another haul. Morrison is very ill after the passage, hopefully he'll recuperate.
10/24 - Morrison passes away in the night from renal failure. He leaves behind many friends. He was with me for eight years of adventures. He drove in a UHaul with me to Atlanta, converted Craig and Kerry to cat lovers. We drove from Atlanta to San Francisco, he was on my lap most of the way, waving to kids in other cars. He made great sport of play attacking Sheri in bed, where she screamed under the covers. Believed to be part rabbit, part kangaroo, part weasel, and having thoroughly disproved the theory that cats always land on their feet, he sailed about six thousand miles from San Francisco to Mexico to French Polynesia and beyond making friends all the way.
11/1 - A safe entry into Coff's Harbour in rough weather. Nalu surfs a two meter breaking wave in over the bar in fideen feet of water. Good to be on the continent.
