From Munda, we moved to Liapari, which is a 240-acre island, separated from Vella La Vella Island by a river. The marina consists of a dock where you med moor with some power (when the generator is running, which is about 12 hours/day) and some water (when there is enough rain to fill the water tank). Noel, the owner, built a nice covered BBQ area where everyone gathers for happy hour every night at 5:00pm and there is a pitch-in BBQ every Sunday. Once a week, Noel makes a run in his power boat to Gizo for provisioning. For a small fee, you can ride over with him and the market there is great. Noel has started building a restaurant and bar overlooking the marina, and it will be nice when completed. It is pretty here with lots of birds; unfortunately some of them love to sit on Cetacea's rigging and sh*t all over the deck. There is also a commercial boat building and repair facility, Liapari Ltd., which is actually Noel's main business. He has 2 slipways and tons of workshops with about everything imaginable. We leave here Friday Dec 13th, and won't return until March 24th next year.


So, we are signing off for the year and wishing everyone a great holiday and a happy new year! Hugs to all! More Later - G&T

After clearing in, we moved to a really nice anchorage right off Agnes's Lodge. We stayed a week and started working on all the projects to shut down the boat, including washing all the salt off the entire boat, polishing all the stainless steel, cleaning all the windows and portholes and applying RainX, etc. The weather was sunny with a nice breeze, but it was hot! We ate out at Agnes's almost every night and really enjoyed the company of Stewart & Leanne who were there on a dive vacation. The sunrises and sunsets were amazing! More Later - G&T

  We arrived in Noro at 12:00 noon.  They let us tie up to the fuel dock after the ferry left.  We managed to get all cleared in by 4:30pm, which involved going to Customs and filling out the paperwork there, going to Biosecurity to fill out paperwork there, going to Immigration, who was still at lunch, going to the bank to get some Solomon dollars, going to a cafe for fish and chips, going back to Immigration and filling out paperwork and paying fees, going to gt a SIM card for our phone, going back to Customs and Biosecurity to pay the fees.  Made it!

More Tidbits:   There are several big tuna fishing boats in the harbour here.  I met one of the captains who said they sought shelter here from the possible cyclone that was forming.  The Solomon Islands are the "hot spot" or the "spawning grounds" for cyclones and this is cyclone season.  So, we feel very fortunate to be here and be safe now.  There has never been a cyclone in the northwestern Solomon islands, which is where we are and where we will leave Cetacea before we fly home.


Count Down:  987 nmiles down, 0 nmiles to go.

More Later - G&T

  We had no wind all day yesterday and it did not fill in until midnight.  Unfortunately, it was dead down-wind.  So we kept our flippers out and stayed on the rumb line in order to arrive Noro as planned in daylight.  We had lots of rain clouds all afternoon and all night, but only got sprinkled on once.  Hope that trend keeps up for our arrival today!  Today is "The Day".  We saw "land ho" about sunrise today.  After 6 days at sea, it is always a really exciting to see lush, green mountainous islands.

More Tidbits:    The Solomon Islands population is more than 500,000, with the largest city being the capital of Honiara (pop 60,000).  The official language is English, but the most commonly used language is Pijin.  There are actually more than 200 languages in the Solomons, some of which are only spoken by one village or one family.  Sometimes, villages next to each other can not communicate with each other.  Most people live off the land and the sea in communal villages. There are very few trained professionals with paying jobs. Their economic resources include logging, fishing, copra (coconut), and a small amount of tourism.  Most of the tourism is related to the excellent diving with visibility of  100 feet and more.

Count Down:  967 nmiles down, 20 nmiles to go.   Arrival will be Monday, today, mid-day. More Later - G&T

  Well, the forecast showed 18-23 knots wind, but starting at noon we had less than 10 knots, with the exception of when a squall would pass by.  We had a line of squalls near us all afternoon and all night, but only got rained on once.  So, the whale put out both flippers. :-(  But, the sea really calmed down, so we had Mahi Mahi with Thai sauce, green beans with sesame sauce, and black rice for dinner. :-)  Today is Day 6.  Clouds look like they may clear off, at least some.

More History:    The Solomon Islands are mostly volcanic in origin, with hills and mountains.  They are located on a fault line, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and, along with New Zealand and Vanuatu, they get frequent earth quakes.  The Solomons also get lots of rain due to the presence of the SPCZ, South Pacific Convergence Zone, which sits on top of much of the Solomons most of the time.  But, it provides beautiful rain forests, with more than 170 species of birds.

Count Down:  787 nmiles down, 200 nmiles to go.   Arrival still estimated to be Monday mid-day. More Later - G&T

  Day 5.  The sea state remained challenging all day yesterday and through the night, which made it difficult to get a connection on our satellite to do a post. Thankfully, the sea has finally calmed down a bit this morning. We had 25-29 knots wind and rain clouds around us all night until 4 am, but no real storms, just got rained on once.  You can see from our track, we headed north yesterday am and are now on a direct route to New Georgia, where we'll clear in.

More History:  Like most Pacific island nations prior to the colonization period, the Solomons practiced cannibalism and collected the skulls of their enemies.  The Solomons had many kastoms (customs), some of which are still practiced today.  In Malaita, they reportedly still use shells and bird feathers as money when making significant purchases, such as buying a bride.  Thankfully, there is no more cannibalism.

Count Down:  630 nmiles down, 357 nmiles to go.  Total 987 nm includes the final leg into Noro. Arrival still estimated to be Monday mid-day. More Later - G&T

  Bumpy sea overnight, such that you really have to hold on.  Even so, I managed to get a couple cruise bruises.  A 600 foot cargo ship passed 1.5 miles in front of our bow last night.  It was headed to New Caledonia.    It kept me awake for at least 1.5 hours, just watching it on AIS. That pesky tropical depression is still expected to form into a possible tropical cyclone just northeast of the Solomons and head southeast.  We should be well out of its projected path now.

We are now officially about half way to our destination; 445 nmiles down, 455 nmiles to go. Arrival still estimated to be Monday am. More Later - G&T

  Just learned that the amazing sunsets and sunrises are due to the fires burning in Australia, which is so sad.  Conditions today have gotten a bit testy with 2.5 m seas, short period (steep), which may last a day or so. Makes galley work not so fun and since we had to leave Port Vila so quickly after arriving there, I have very little pre-cooked for this passage.   I only have salad, broccoli casserole, bean burgers, and sloppy lentil Joes all made.  Tony is looking for a restaurant and dreaming of a steak! More history.  The Solomons became an independent nation in 1978.  Civil war broke out in 1999 between the people from Guadalcanal and Malaita, and the unrest continued through 2006.   New Zealand and Australia provided assistance to restore law and order, and since then it has been more stable.  Hopefully, there won't be any elections or any cause for civil unrest while we are there.  The Solomon people are 94% Melanesian, 4% Polynesian, and 2% Asians, along with Aussie and Kiwi expats.  The tourist industry is mainly focused on the excellent diving and underwater world, created in part by all the WWII wrecks.

More Later - G&T

  Day 3.  We have had some of the most amazing sunsets and sunrises.  Last night, almost the entire sky turned bright orange.  So far, our conditions have been great; sunny skies, partial moon lit nights, no squalls, and a nice sea state.  No complaints here!  And, so far, we have made good progress at 161 nm/day.  We usually plan on 150 nm/day, and hope for 160+.  The passage from Port Vila, Vanuatu to Noro, New Georgia, Solomons is 985 nm total.  We have 300 down and 685 to go.  At this rate, we should arrive Noro by mid day Monday  +/- 6 hours (Sunday in US).  More Later - G&T

  Today was a beautiful day at sea with a sunny sky.  The sea was a little bigger today, but the wave period is about 8 seconds (as opposed to 5-6 seconds yesterday) making it much more comfortable on board.  We have not seen any boats, just a few sea birds.

Got our sea legs back and got in some naps today.  Been reading about the Solomon Islands.  There are a dozen or so main islands and over 1,000 islands if you count all the small islands and islets.  They were first inhabited in 4000 BC by the Melanesian and Polynesian people. They were first discovered by the Spanish in 1595, but colonization did not begin until the late 1700s.  In 1893, they became a British protectorate.  In WWII, the Japanese took over parts of teh Solomons, including Guadalcanal and the New Georgia Sound (The Slot), where one of the fiercest battles took place with 67 war ships sunk.  Google "John F Kennedy, WWII PT Boat 109" for a good story.

More Later - G&T

  Last night was uneventful. Just a bit rolly with short period seas.  Kept one engine on to hold our course and speed steady as we don't want to dawdle on this passage.  Beautiful sunrise this morning.  More Later - G&T

  Day 1 has been a really nice down-wind sail. Kept one engine on until the wind filled in and hope to turn it off very soon.  Not much to report; boring is good.

More Later - G&T

  We arrived in Vanuatu on Friday and it was just after 5 pm, so we had to wait to Saturday to clear in with customs.But, we had to finish clearing in with Immigration and Bio on Monday.Got to have a couple days here catching up with our friends Ken & Beth, having dinners out, and re-provisioning.  We really like Vanuatu and look forward to coming back next year.

Unfortunately, with that pesky cyclone brewing up and a good weather window to get to the Solomons right now, we decided to leave.So, we set an all-time record yesterday, as we finished clearing into Vanuatu and cleared out of Vanuatu the same day!  They allow 24 hours before we have to be out of the country, so we are leaving today ~10am.  Should be a 6 day sail for us, arriving the Solomons on Monday Nov 25 (Sunday in US).  We have a beautiful day to start the passage.

More Later - G&T

On a mooring ball in the Port Vila anchorage. We finally did get to sail today by about noon, although we kept engines on to make sure we got in before dark. Got in at 5:15pm, before sunset.  Missed all the squalls that surrounded us since noon today, although we really wanted to have just one to wash the boat off!  There was a bird that decided to make a real mess of the side of our boat and from the looks of it, it was a very large bird.  Our friends Ken & Beth played welcoming committee here and helped us get onto a mooring ball.  We can't clear in until tomorrow, so we are stuck on the boat tonight, which is fine because we need to catch up on some sleep.


All in all, it was a good passage, with not as much sailing as preferred, but completely missed all the rain storms and squalls along the way.  Most of it was pretty relaxing with no worries about the weather or the boat.  Yeah Cetacea! AGOB (All Great on Board!)Thanks for all the well wishes along the way! More Later - G&T

Another beautiful night at sea, with a full moon, long period swell, and gentle breeze, although not enough wind to sail. But, that is about to change, as there is a trade wind surge coming and we can see the cloud build up to the south and southeast of us.  So, we should be sailing soon.

About 85 miles to go at 1800 UTC. We now expect to arrive Port Vila by about 6pm. AGOB.  More Later - G&T

Beautiful day at sea, with a sunny sky, long period swell, and gentle breeze, although not enough wind to sail. Looking at the weather forcaste for tomorrow, we decided to put out 2 flippers to give the whale an extra 1 knot of speed, to arrive Port Vila hopefully by about 8pm.

So, where are we going?  The country of Vanuatu (pop 250,000) is a chain of 13 main islands and about 70 smaller islands, located 550 miles west of Fiji and 1,000 miles east of Australia.  Port Vila, Efate, is the capital with 45,000 people.  And, why are we going here?  We have to get Cetacea out of the cyclone belt.  We chose to go to the Solomon Islands for the cyclone season (Nov - April) and will leave Cetacea there and fly home for 3 months. So, Vanuatu is on the way to the Solomons, and we had planned to catch up with our good friends on Eagles Wings who are in Port Vila now.  Cruising plans often change, and planned rendezvous often fail, so this will be special! About 175 miles to go.  AGOB  More Later - G&T

We had a bright red sunset while we ate dinner - Indian dahl, rice and nan bread.  Red sky at night; sailors delight - we hope! Overnight we lost our wind and this big fat whale needed to put out a flipper to continue on our path.  But, what a beautiful night at sea with a full moon. About 240 miles to go.  AGOB  More Later - G&T

Great day sailing!  The sea got bigger, but it became more organized and less steep (now, 9 or 10 seconds), so it is much more comfortable on board.  Got in some good naps today.  Wind is starting to decrease and become more ESE, so we will likely fall below our rumb line.  Oh no, what will Tony, Mr. Rumb Line, do? Looking forward to another moonlit night.  AGOB.  More Later G&T

Started out Tues with SE wind 20 knots, sea 1.5 meters from the S, about 8 sec, sunny above, black clouds in front of us, averaging 6.5 knots.  In the afternoon, we went through the trough with rain storms to the north and south of us, but we only got sprinkled on once and did not hit any squalls.  By sunset, we had wind 24 knots, and seas 1.7 meters, on our beam (not very comfortable).  By 10 pm, the clouds were completely gone and the full moon was shining bright.  Except for the uncomfortable sea, it was a glorious night! This morning is a nice sunny day. About 400 miles to go. AGOB (All good on board).  More Later G&T

Started out Tues with SE wind 20 knots, sea 1.5 meters from the S, about 8 sec, sunny above, black clouds in front of us, averaging 6.5 knots.  In the afternoon, we went through the trough with rain storms to the north and south of us, but we only got sprinkled on once and did not hit any squalls.  By sunset, we had wind 24 knots, and seas 1.7 meters, on our beam (not very comfortable).  By 10 pm, the clouds were completely gone and the full moon was shining bright.  Except for the uncomfortable sea, it was a glorious night! This morning is a nice sunny day.  AGOB (All good on board).  More Later G&T

Just cleared out with Customs and paid the marina bill.  Getting ready to throw off the dock lines and head for Vanuatu.  Expect a 3.5 day sail.  We have loved our time in Fiji!  Later G&T

We finally have what looks like a good weather window and plan to leave tomorrow (Tuesday) to sail from Port Denarau, Fiji to Port Vila, Vanuatu.  It should take us a little less than 4 days, arriving on Saturday morning.  We sure have enjoyed Fiji and all our new friends we've made this year.  We are looking forward to seeing our friends, Ken and Beth, on Eagles Wings in Port Vila.


More Later, G&T

  Yesterday and last night was some of the best sailing we've ever had!  Averaging up to 7.5 knots, frequently hitting over 8 and 9 knots at times, with Cetacea loving it!  Still an almost full moon.  We arrived in Savusavu at 9:30am and are still waiting for customs, immigration, and biosecurity to come clear us in.  Then, it will be time for that traditional "anchor beer". Yeah!  More later - G&T

  Yesterday and last night was some of the best sailing we've ever had!  Averaging up to 7.5 knots, frequently hitting over 8 and 9 knots at times, with Cetacea loving it!  Still an almost full moon.  Cetacea passed her sea trial with flying colors - nothing broken after sailing 1,297 nm, which might be a record for us! We arrived in Savusavu at 9:30am and are still waiting for customs, immigration, and biosecurity to come clear us in.  Then, it will be time for that traditional "anchor beer". Yeah!  More later - G&T

Yesterday was a bit smoother ride and last night was awesome!  The sea settled down, we had wind 12-18 knots, and an almost full moon all night.  It really doesn't get any better!  What a sea trial!  We had "Where II" 3 miles in front and "Scoots" 6 miles behind us all night. This morning, we were greeted with a beautiful sunrise and islands in front of us!  Land Ho!  We're officially now in the tropics.

Tony got our water maker fixed, which turned out to be bad quality filters.  All good on board. We expect to arrive in Savusavu ~8am Monday.

G&T

Yesterday and last night were a bit bumpy out here, but not too bad, and the moon was once again wonderful.  We are making good progress toward Savusavu.  Rewa and Scoots are just 10 to 20 miles behind us, as we left 5 hours earlier than they did.  Our water maker seems to be acting up, so Tony is working on that now.  All good on board.

G&T

Anchored in North Minerva Reef.  We arrived at 8am yesterday, cleaned the salt off the boat, had a little breakfast, and took a big nap.  Got up in the afternoon and the water was clear as glass because it was low tide and the waves don't come over the reef at low tide unless there are really rough seas.  We are in 50 feet of water and could clearly see the bottom.  This is an incredible place in the middle of the ocean! Last night we had our "fleet" radio net group (Rewa, Scoots, and Gone with the Wind) over for dinner.  Rewa had caught a huge fish, so we had a great fish dinner compliments of Rewa. The full moon came up for a beautiful night and we had a great party.

Today, we plan to go exploring on the reef.  More later - G&T

Yesterday we had 50-60 dolphin all around us for over an hour.  They were jumping clear out of the water and doing belly flops, especially the juvies, and they were slapping their tails, possibly a feeding behavior.  They were beautiful grey/light grey, with a whitish belly and a little white nose. They were about the size of spinner dolphins, but did not look like spinners.  I have check all my cetacean books and can not identify them, so we decided we've found a new dolphin species! Last night was another beautiful night with a full moon, gentle breeze and sea.  We should be entering North Minerva Reef at 8 am today and looking forward to it!  More Later - G&T

  Yesterday was another pretty day and we had a nice salmon, rice and bok choy lunch for Father's Day.  Last night was another beautiful night of motorsailing under a full moon, with 12-16 knots breeze and a gentle swell.  Cetacea is having a good time on her migration to warmer climate.  We've been able to use our SSB radio and check in with our fleet; Scoots, Rewa & Gone with the Wind.  Looking forward to hearing GH Radio this morning.

G&T

We sailed yesterday until the wind died down more and then the whale put out a flipper to continue migration speed.  Last night was an easy ride with a beautiful moon shining through the clouds.  Today is starting off another grey cloudy day, but no stormy weather in sight.    Will decide on whether to stop in Minerva Reef tomorrow morning.  More later.

G&T

We had a nice day sailing yesterday with sunny skies, 20 to 25 knts WSW wind, reefed and averaging 7.5 knts.  Reefed down more overnight, winds 15 to 25 knts, and a couple showers with brief 30 knts wind.  At midnight, we saw a UFV (unidentified Foreign Vessel) on our AIS, which then magically disappeared, and we suspect some kind of fishing vessel.

The whale continues to behave nicely.  Our refit solved the problem of banging anchors and squeaking mast (thanks Steve!). The other very noticeable difference is that the boat is so quiet inside.  And, now we have a great backrest on our pilot house berth (thanks Steve & Kim!). The last 2 nights we've enjoyed some of our smoked kingfish (thanks Tim!) with cream cheese recipe (thanks Dave!).

Today is a grey day which we hope will burn off.  Wind has backed around to the S as expected, and will turn more to the SW.  We are headed for Minerva, but may go straight to Fiji depending on weather.  All good on board.

Gail & Tony

We had squalls off and on all night with gusts to 37 knots, but a nice moon.  We are reefed down and sailing at 7 knots.  Cetacea has behaved like the good whale she is!  All good on board.

Gail & Tony

We had a nice sunny day to start our passage to Minerva Reef, although no wind.  Overnight wind picked up to 10-16 NW with scattered showers, but we only got sprinkled on a couple times. Looks like another sunny day with no wind starting out.  All good on board.

Gail & Tony

We are clearing out today, heading north to Fiji, by way of Minerva Reef, weather permitting.  Heading for warmer weather!  

Today we are leaving Riverside Drive Marina and Whangarei after 2.5 years. We had a great experience with our yacht refit, especially Steve Eichler and all the other wonderful people who worked on Cetacea. We will miss all the friends we've made here, but we'll be back in 1.5 years, weather permitting :) Gail & Tony

As of 6:00pm Thursday. All is GREAT on board as we are tied to the quarantine dock in Marsden Cove, New Zealand. We will clear in Friday am and then go up the river to Whangarei. YEAH! Gail & Tony

As of 6:30am Thursday. All is well on board. Very pleasant night and conditions are very nice now. 80 miles to go toWhangarei, New Zealand. ETA Thursday early evening.


Gail & Tony

As of 7:30am Wednesday. All is well on board. Another windy night with average 24 knots wind and 2.5 meter swell. 225 miles to go toWhangarei, New Zealand. ETA Thursday evening.


Gail & Tony

As of 7:00am Tuesday. All is well on board. Blustery night with average 24 knots wind and 3+ meter swell. 344 miles to go toWhangarei, New Zealand. ETA Thursday afternoon.

Gail & Tony

As of 7:30am Mon. All is well on board. Engines off, sailing through frontal system. 470 miles to go toWhangarei, New Zealand.

Gail & Tony

As of 8:00am Sun. All is well on board. Motorsailing in a bowl of soup. 626 miles to go toWhangarei, New Zealand.

Gail & Tony

As of 8:00am Sat. All is well on board. Motorsailing 670 miles to go toWhangarei, New Zealand.

Gail & Tony

All is well on board. Motorsailing 790 miles to go toWhangarei, New Zealand.

Gail & Tony

925 miles to Whangarei. Motorsailing. All is well.

Gail & Tony on Cetacea

We decided to duck in behind Tongatapu and wait for a better weather window.

All is well. 1091 miles to Whangarei. Can't hear on SSB, will check backstay connection.

Ghradio has changed their latitude to 19s as their 750 mn run the last 12 hrs seems rather unrealistic! Wishful thinking.

Leaving Vava'u, Tonga for Whangarei, New Zealand today with sunny skies and a light breeze.

Anchored, Ark Gallery

anchored in Neifau, Vava'u Group, Kingdom of Tonga