Scream
Fiji Waypoints
We've compiled this set of waypoints (.zip) from various sources on our trip around Fiji. We started in Savu Savu, travelled counter clockwise three quarters of the way around Vanua Levu, across the north and west sides of Viti Levu, and into the Yasawas. We do not have waypoints for the rest of Fiji, so […]
Cruising with a rowing dinghy
Almost all cruising boats have dinghies with gasoline outboards. Maybe one boat in twenty rows their dinghy. We've been living aboard full time, mostly at anchor and mostly in the tropics for going on four years. So we have a few thoughts to share. If you're going to row your dinghy, you'll need a dinghy […]
Catching rain
We've been catching rain to fill our water tanks on Scream for two years now. We've actually caught rain about a dozen times, and we've tried about another dozen times when it didn't rain enough. Rain water accounts for about half of our annual water, and most of our water while cruising. We take on […]
Denarau
In many ways Port Denarau marina in Fiji is the best marina we have ever visited. Denarau is a tour ship wharf with an upscale mall co-located with a marina. There are a half dozen restaurants, a grocery, drug store, and a full set of marine services, including a 20 tonne travel lift. These services […]
Yaqaga
The island of Yaqaga, pronounced and sometimes misspelled as Yanqanga, is the most beautiful place where we have been in Fiji. Yaqaga has small but good anchorage near the eastern end of the north shore at 16 34.71S 178 36.81E. We anchored there in 15m, sand bottom. There is excellent shelter from the south, some […]
Palmlea
Joe and Julie, the proprietors of Palmlea farms, are among the nicest and most helpful people we have met on our travels. Palmlea is a tiny resort, with a restaurant, swimming pool, and dinghy dock. They are very welcoming to visiting boats. The anchorage is an enormous roadstead, with depths of 2 to 10 meters […]
Copra Shed Marina
The Copra Shed is the largest and best known of Savusavu's three marinas. We picked it more or less by accident. They have a couple dozen moorings. There is room for three boats to stern tie and one to tie alongside. Mooring fees (as of 2011) are F$10 per night, or F$63 per week. There […]
Clearing into Fiji
Scream arrived in Savusavu, Fiji on Saturday 28 May, 2011. We took a mooring from the Kopra Shed marina, who assisted us with clearing in. We were boarded by officials from Health, Customs, and Biosecurity (which appears to be a buzzword for quarantine). They we're all friendly and courteous. Even with the weekend arrival the […]
Cruising on a limited Budget
The base fact of cruising budgets is that most boats spend all of the money that they think that they can afford. From the other cruisers we've spoken with, the thinnest budgets for a cruising couple on the smallest ocean-going boats are about $1,000 per month. These boats are eating whatever is cheapest, doing a […]
Lubricating your seals
We've had a leaky faucet on Scream for about a year now. A leaky faucet is a big deal when your fresh water supply is disappearing and you are a thousand miles from land. So you'll understand that we've tried everything to fix it. We've had it apart so regularly that we've broken bits that […]