Dawnbreaker - Return to Port Denarau

Return to Port Denarau

Dawnbreaker

Lars Alfredson

Fri 26 Jul 2013 06:04

Pos 17:46.22S 177:22.88E

20130721 Sunday

It’s a still windless scene and the boats sit mirrored in a glassy sea. The Sun is breaking through the thin cloud and its getting hot and sticky. Just before ten o’clock we up anchor and set out for Port Denarau some two hours away. We plan to arrive in time to pick up our mooring which should have been vacated by noon.

There’s a light wind just off the bow as we motor across with a close hauled Genoa in a friendly sea. The time is put to good use as we have fired up the generator to run the washing machine which is busy doing its thing in the engine room.

At our destination we’re directed to pick up buoy Nr11, unfortunately the numbers are missing from some of them but by reasonable powers of deduction we pick the right one and go for it. Its low water and we are chugging along in 2.1 metres of water with our keel ploughing through the muddy bottom with our 2.3 metre draught, towards our mooring.

Hard aground New arrival

Mooring up we’re surrounded with a large brown muddy patch of water that we’ve stirred up, and sit there, glued to the bottom now there’s no way on, to keep us moving. It takes and hour before the tide has risen enough to lift us and let her swing into the wind.

Two old scrubbers

In the meantime the washing lines are run out and are soon filled with a selection of multi coloured “Flags”, flapping in the breeze. By then we are busy giving the boat a “Deep Clean”, toilet scrubbing, dismantling the cooker and driving the Hoover are amongst the many thrills enjoyed by the participants. The reason for this flurry of activity is Shan’s impending arrival tomorrow morning, apart from the fact it’s well overdue.

Wash day New pontoons

There is also a lot of activity on the main jetty which has now been permanently connected to mainland and the first of the new pontoons are being in being installed.

A visit ashore, shopping, dinner and another day’s gone.

20130722 Monday

Shan is due in this morning on the 08:30 flight from London via Seoul on Korean Air. Lars runs me ashore at 7:45 too get a taxi to the airport and fter some negation with the drivers I have the “rip off” fare reduced from $50 to $30 which is just as well as "Hole in the wall" refuses my card and $30 is all I have on me.

During the trip the driver asks if I want him to wait for the return trip, so we re-negotiate and now its $15 for the return trip!

The plane is only 20 minutes late and having exchanged pleasantries I have to march Shan to the cash machine so we can fund the return journey! Welcome to Fiji.

We have breakfast ashore on our return and finally manage to raise the yacht by Facebook for our lift back aboard

It’s like Christmas, as Shan unpacks her case full of goodies. Boat parts, books and a computer for Lars, camera, batteries and flags for me and two bottles of spirits for all of us. Total weight 20 of her 23 kilo allowance, leaving her just enough for a couple of bikinis and a pair of flip flops.

Dining ashore we retire at a reasonable hour ready for tomorrows shopping adventures.

20130723 Tuesday

It’s a beautiful sunny day as we set about our final shopping. A trip to the fuel docks for diesel and water while there is time and a last run ashore for groceries as well as topping up the bar.

Shan returns with winter woolies

They advise us there is no diesel as the pipe is disconnected while they put in a new joint. Fortunately by the time we fill the 800 litre water tank which must have been just about dry the pipe has been reconnected so we can now take on fuel.

All provisioned and we’re off to Musket Cove. Shan is busy sewing a line into one of the new flags ready for hoisting, when the Dragon will have his bits restored.