Warmth of the people and beauty of the islands

Yachting

By Sally Andrew

A long way from home and without many of the luxuries of modern-day travel, sea-faring voyagers talk about the special delights of the Pacific

THIS month, a few Suva sightings.

Sequel

Sequel , designed and built by owners Sandy and Sidney Van Zandt, is one of the most interesting yachts cruising the Pacific. She is shoal-draft with internal ballast and parallel bilge boards. With these boards up Sequel draws only three feet. This has allowed Sandy and Sidney to poke into man)’ out-of-the-way an chorages inaccessible to deeper draft vessels. With the boards down Sequel goes to weather like a champ. This season they made the passage from Bay of Islands, New Zealand to Suva, Fiji in a little over seven days, making better than 150 miles per day. One custom feature on board Sequel that is extra-special is a window in the bottom of the hull for

underwater viewing. Sandy also de signed Sequel’s two-piece 10-foot rowing dinghy. Wife Sidney and son Doug (a sailboard sail-maker) helped in the construction of both dinghy and yacht.

Sequel began her journey in Noank, Connecticut on the East Coast of the United States in 1990. Through the Bahamas and the San Bias Islands. Sequel transited the Panama Canal before

sailing on to the Galapagos where Sand)' and Sidney swam with dozens of seals.

The crossing from the Galapagos to the Marquesas was ideal with almost con stant days of tradewind sailing and star filled nights. In Vava’u and Fiji, they were happy to once again converse with the locals in English - the first time since the Bahamas. This made interchanges with the Tongans and Fijians more

meaningful.

Sequel returned to Fiji again this year after spending cyclone season in more temperate New Zealand. Sandy and

Sidney prefer tropical temperatures but

claim that in New Zealand “the warmth of the people and the beauty of the islands made up for the extreme change

in temperature”.

Sidney echoes the sentiments of most cruises when she says, “It is the people we meet who give a richness to the islands we visit.” Special thanks go to Jon and Maureen Cullen of Kerikeri Radio for their SSB marine weather forecasts and to George and Dorothy Bateman in Opua who give so freely of their time to

visiting yachtsmen.

Affaire D’Amour

Affaire d’Amour, a 32-foot Downeaster designed by Bob Poole, arrived in Suva this season after a passage of 1100 miles and 39 days from New Zealand. Luckily, Bill Hook and Kathy Cowely think long passages are the best part of cruising.

Sally Andrew Jim and Janice: on board Loke Lani at landfall in Suva

They enjoy the isolation, good wind, s clear skies at night, stars horizon to »horizon and long ocean swells where the waves look like they are climbing up.

Bill and Kathy have found that all over the Pacific, people are friendly, loving and giving. In the Tuamotus, [children came down to the boat on Sundays and personally escorted them to church. Kathy was delighted to find that every time she walked through the I village, she could look down the length [of her arms and find a child attached to

teach finger!

In New Zealand an inauspicious

’landfall due to engine problems and

!“blown-out” sails afforded them the opportunity to meet Keith Wright and Graham Flemming of yacht Waihaka who ably towed Affaire d’Amour into the port of Whangarei last year. While in VVhangarei, Bill and Kathy made many good friends who never let them be without entertainment and who always came down to the town basin and shouted out invitations to go hiking, or

berry-picking, or Scottish dancing.

Since their departure from Ventura,

California in April 1987 Bill and Kathy have plied the waters of Mexico, French Polynesia, the Cooks, American Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand. They hope to continue around the world and complete a circumnavigation. Fair winds Affaire d’Amour

Loke Lani

Lani, a 29-foot Bristol sloop designed by Halsey Herrschoff departed San Francisco in October 1990. Owners ji m and Janice Gustin have had many special experiences and funny encounters along the way. Their reason for living aboard and sailing from island to island is simple they enjoy meeting new people and visiting different countries.

The diverse cultures and geographical settings of the South Pacific nations are

fascinating.

Jim and Janice’s favourite island in the eastern Pacific was Isla Isabella, a tiny island off the western coast of Mexico.

Isla Isabella is a bird sanctuary with frigates, terns, tropic birds, blue-footed boobies and brown boobies. “Being there was like watching a television documentary in person. The male frigates let

us get within a few feet to observe their bright red balloon-like throats while overhead frigate birds stole food from other birds in flight. We watched boobie chicks being fed, and even saw a pair of blue-footed boobies mate.”

On passage from New Zealand north to Fiji this year, Loke Lani made a stop at Minerva Reef, an unusual anchorage consisting of two almost circular reefs at latitude 23 degrees 37 minutes south and longitude 178 degrees 56 minutes west. It was strange to be anchored mid-ocean with nothing but the blues of sea and sky in any direction at high tide. Fishing on all tides was easy with abundant fish and lobster. At low tide, Jim and Janice were able to walk the reef and collect shells.

Low tide and early afternoon coincided during their stay, so a barbeque on an ever appearing/disappearing sand bar was organized with the other yachts in the anchorage Icarus, Kavenga, Faith of Norfolk a delightful and unusual mid

ocean experience.

Loke Lani spent the entire season cruising in Fiji this year, enjoying the hospitality of the outer islands. □

Sandy and Sidney: going ashore at the Royal Suva Yacht Club

Sally Andrew