Journey's end

By Sally Andrew

AFTER completing a journey through

the islands of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji, the yacht Meridian has returned to her home port of Hobart, Tasmania, in the far South Pacific.

Meridian, a 41-foot steel cutter de

signed by Sparkman and Stevens and

built in Tasmania, has been home to Richard, Brenda and Madeleine (Maddie) McCure for the past four years. Maddie is a bright and cheery five year-old with a toothless smile who says what she likes most about sailing is “the enormous waves”.

Originally designed as a ketch, Merid ian has been modified to a cutter rig with roller furling on both headsails. Auxiliary power is provided by a four cylinder, 80 horsepower Ford engine. Rainwater is collected on deck and drains directly into two 100-gallon tanks.

A prop-shaft generator used in con junction with two solar panels makes

enough power to run navigation lights,

an SSB radio, and a VCR. According to Brenda, the VCR has been a real “sanity saver” at sea. It keeps her daughter Maddie entertained during long passages when she and her husband are busy 24

hours a day with navigation, standing

watch, and trying to catch up on sleep.

Meridian has had very few “dramas” over the years, sailing slowly up the east coast of Australia to Brisbane on a shake down cruise before heading offshore to New Caledonia. Richard completed Meridian’s fit-out along the way, using exotic Tasmanian timbers like king billy,

celery and huon pine.

In New Caledonia, the picture book beauty of the Isle of Pines and its

interesting history make it a popular

crusing ground. Located south of Nou mea, the Isle of Pines is an enormous outcrop of coral with many small islets scattered around a coast that is dotted with limestone grottos filled with crystal clear water, underwater caves and spec tacular stalactites. Like the McCures home state of Tasmania, the Isle of Pines was a convict settlement.

In New Caledonia’s Loyalty Group of Islands the McCures visited Ouvea, one of the most beautiful atolls in the Pacific and well-known for its immense beach

and large lagoon, and He Beautemps-

Beaupre. This is polaroid sunglass

country. Navigation is tricky in these reef strewn waters, but with Richard up the mast as lookout, Brenda was able to negotiate the boat safely between the übiquitous coral heads.

After spending their first cyclone season in New Zealand, Meridian entered and won line honours in the 1992 Island Cruising Regatta to Vava’u. Richard and Brenda enjoyed being part of the entourage of boats that left New Zealand that June and through the radio they made friends with other regatta partici pants.

That year, many of the regatta boats

sailed en mass from Tonga to Savusavu where special arrangements had been made with Fijian Customs to clear into the north eastern district of Fiji. Normally a sleepy little town, Savusavu leapt to life. All the local businesses the Copra Shed Yacht Club, the Planters Club, the Hot Bread Shop, the Pizza Barn, the Travel Shop, etc. welcomed the arrival of so many visitors.

It was a week busy with parties, races, feasts, dances and entertainment.

Savusavu is a great jumping-off spot to the islands of north-eastern Fiji. The north east boasts some of the best diving in the world and superb sailing. Viani Bay and Rainbow Reef lie nearby off the south-east side of Vanua Levu. Qamea and Matangi Islands are around the corner, north-east of Taveuni.

At remote Budd Reef, north of Taveuni, Richard performed sevusevu with a 96-year old chief. According to custom, the chief offered Richard and his boat the protection and blessings of the village and welcomed the McCure family to their island. Richard

and Brenda passed their days snorkelling

and exploring these seldom-visited islets of Budd Reef.

At nearby Rabi Island, Meridian joined

two other yachts Pacific High with

Americans Tim and Arlene aboard, and

the German-registered yacht Equinox with

Joric and Yvonne. Together, the three boats spent time on shore as guests oflocal families. During the week Maddie went to kindergarten with two young Rabi girls, Monkey and Belle, who live in a village on the shore of Elizabeth Bay on the north western coast of Rabi.

Richard and Brenda imagined the cruis ing lifestyle would be lonely, that it would consist of endless isolated anchorages in exotic locales. Instead, cruising was a

intensely social experience. They made

many close and fast friendships with other people sharing the same not-so-secluded anchorages and Richard found that “the friendships we formed along the way were much like the friendships of childhood with everyone doing the same thing,

sharing the same experiences”.

Meridian and her crew are now back home wheere the journey started, weather ing a Tasmanian winter and dreaming of their next cruise through the South Pacific. □

Pictures: SALLY ANDREW

Schoolgirls: on Rabi Island, near Taveuni, Fiji