December 18, 2018
It seems that each year when we linger in the tropics, and that’s most years, there’s a new running joke from our friends. In Tonga a few years ago, every message we got ended with “Turn out the lights when you leave!” This year, it’s all about our citizenship status.
No, we have not applied for citizenship in Fiji (yet) is the answer, but we would if we could, and we really do plan to go south for cyclone season, but we’re just not seeing weather we like for the passage. Yea, we could get there but it wouldn’t be fun. Below is today’s ECMWF grib.
We’re at the green marker here in Fiji and want to go to the red marker in New Zealand. The big red and blue mess is a low with an attached front between us and where we want to go. If we wait for it to pass, then we also have to wait for the strong southerly winds to pass (the weather moves left to right here). By the time all that passes, there’ll be another low just like this in our way. Lather, rinse, repeat.
We’ve even started to think about going to Australia this year. While it’s a little better weather-wise, it’s still not all that easy.
Why are we so picky when the 300 other boats in the fleet have already made the passage? We don’t like discomfort. We do this for fun and getting banged around out on the ocean is not our idea of fun. And as Cyndi’s written before, we’re probably just one bad passage from quitting this silly cruising stuff. As it is, even with the mostly good passages we’ve had, there’s a point on almost every passage when I say “no more!” Then, like child birth (I suppose), I forget the suffering and we do it all over again. I’m afraid that one of these declarations will stick and we’ll have to find something else to do with our lives. (I’m already checking out property in Hawaii.)
And while you make your jokes about our citizenship applications, we’re really enjoying it here. At Pacific Harbour on the south side of Viti Levu, we’re probably in the coolest (or at least, least hot) spot in Fiji. The days are pleasantly warm and the nights sometimes cool enough to warrant a blanket. We are surrounded by natural beauty, great food and wonderful Fijians. Life is good! Very good!-Rich
