Monday  May 27th , Port Denerau Marina, Denerau , Fiji  17:46S  177 23E 

Today’s Blog by Richard  (Time zone BST +11; UTC +12.00)

So, there we were, having a quiet Pina Colada last night in our idyllic anchorage when Peterson checks his emails and exclaims “S**t! I need to get back to Auckland a day early for an important meeting”. So, he managed to change his flight to today but needed to be in Denerau by 9.30 to catch it. He tried to negotiate a local boat to take him but it all looked very doubtful and dodgy and no deal was done.

Captain Caukill to the rescue. “Don’t worry, Kevin, we’ll all just get up at 6am and drive you there”. [grumbling noises from rest of crew]. Up we were at 6 but it was slashing down with rain and we had to wait for a window of visibility to negotiate the channel out of Mana Bay. Then, we had to drive at breakneck speed to get to the channel before the sewage barge blocked it. The heavy rain, thunder and lightning were incessant throughout the passage and all the crew, bar Peterson, were soaked to the skin in short order. Kevin remained dry by volunteering to inflate the fenders below decks. About half way over, we were all wishing he had been successful in his negotiations to get a lift on the local, open boat – and told him so on several occasions. However, we don’t hold grudges, and this proves it:

Anyway, we were fortunate that Port Denerau Marina was able to accommodate us some hours before they were expecting us. We are pleased to report that Kevin made his flight, even though Daryl and I will now have luggage full of wet clothes for the next three days! At least I have a bit more room in  my bag as I can’t now find the shoes he borrowed from me! We are also pleased to report that nothing changes – we always had to clean up after KP 35 years ago and here we are doing it again! Seriously, it was great to see you again, KP!

Sadly, this is the last day for Daryl and I on Serendipity for now – it’s been a great voyage and we wish the new crew fair winds to Vanuatu and Australia.