To Vanua Balavu
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Thu 9 Jul 2015 22:37
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Overnight to Vanua
Balavu
 Half past two saw us underway from our anchorage at Naselesele Point at the top
of Taveuni for the sixty one mile journey to Vanua Balavu, Bay of Islands, in
the northern Lau Group.
 Although the journey would take us twelve
hours at ‘normal’ speed we had to leave in daylight giving us enough time to
wiggle through between Taveuni and Qamea reaching
deep water before dark. A very slow overnighter to time our arrival at the pass
for nine in the morning.
 Just before we reached deep water a busy little lady waved, she delivers all sorts to several
islands and manages to get in where bigger girls would fail.
 To our right we could just see breaking waves crashing over the reef.
 At dusk we began
to leave Taveuni behind.
 A pretty sunset.
 Overnight
dog-leg.
 Dawn a lumpy horizon as we do some more
wiggling between unlit islands.
 Plenty to keep
us occupied.
 Our first look at Vanua Baluva, the pass will take us almost up to the ‘hard
stuff’ with a sharp right. We had a while a sailing on the spot until nine
o’clock, that would put the sun in the right place for us to see any coral heads
that might want to jump out and unnerve Beez. You have to allow a couple of
hours to get through the pass and into the lagoon.
 The time came to line up the leading marks and trundle through Curly’s
waypoints.
  Shallows to our
left and a thoughtfully placed marker on some
coral.
 Nearly to the first
corner.
  Around the corner we found ourselves in ninety feet deep, open water.
 Scott-Free,
pass behind her, now enjoying the
lagoon.
  Our track and safely at
anchor.
 Dalaconi Village behind us, we’ll present kava after
lunch and Bear has launched Baby Beez.
 Our view for the
evening,
ALL IN ALL A VERY PLEASANT
JOURNEY
A GENTLE NIGHTS
MOTORING |